By Mike Ivey
Groundswell Conservancy

Thanks to the efforts of a local conservation group coupled with a generous grant from the Madison Community Foundation (MCF), a group of immigrant farmers are feeling a lot better about the upcoming growing season.

Groundswell Conservancy, which works to protect and enhance open spaces in the Dane County area, is using MCF monies to improve land security for a group of Hmong subsistence and market growers. Set on 10 acres of land in the village of Waunakee, the new Westport Farm also brings in the expertise of Community GroundWorks (CGW), which specializes in urban agriculture and is best known for overseeing Troy Gardens.

The total project costs are budgeted at $38,000, with MCF providing $19,000. Groundswell and private donors are covering the rest. 

Not only does the project provide some badly needed upgrades to the farm infrastructure, including new storage sheds and a permanent water supply, CGW is working with the growers themselves to develop a leasing and governance system that will allow farmers to make long-term investments in their land. The project also provides technical assistance in areas like soil and plant health, cover cropping, crop rotation, organic certification, composting, season extension, pollinator support and animal husbandry.

Participants have cheered the project, calling it a long overdue effort to assist a displaced population. Most of the Hmong families in Dane County emigrated as refugees starting in the 1970s and came primarily from rural backgrounds with less access to education than other Asian immigrant populations.

“To know that the Hmong growers at Westport Farm will have access to the land for the rest of their lives and are provided culturally appropriate services is unbelievable,” said grower Presley Chang. “It’s about time something like this happens for under-resourced minority communities to connect with nature and soil in Dane County. This is only the beginning; let’s keep it going so we reach everyone.” 

Grower Mai Chang echoed those comments, saying the project will only enhance her connections to the fertile fields north of Madison which date back 14 years.

“Every time I’m out at the land tending to the vegetables I’ve grown out of love, I’m so happy,” she said. “I feel this enormous weight lifted from my shoulders. I’m no longer stressed out and I don’t have to worry about anything else.” 

Groundswell purchased the property along Bong Road last year from Peg Whiteside, who retired after 40 years in the farming business. Whiteside had been renting plots to Hmong gardeners and wanted to make sure they could continue to do so. She offered the land at a discount to Groundswell with the express purpose of keeping the arrangement intact.

“In the nearly 30 years since I started renting plots to Hmong gardeners, I’ve been impressed with their skill and passion for raising food,” said Whiteside. “Thanks to Groundswell and the remarkable grant donors, I can rest easy knowing these hardworking folks can continue growing healthy food for their families and others long after I’m gone.”

Yimmuaj Yang, Gardens Network Manager for Community GroundWorks, has worked with minority farmers, provided direct and technical assistance, created access to resources, and consulted in farm business management. She is excited about ramping things up this spring at Westport Farm.

“In my 10 plus years working with vegetable growers, this is the first project that is addressing the demand for land access and land tenure through culturally appropriate engagement by the user group,” she said. “And it’s happening because the right organizations and people are collaborating together.”

CGW’s Maeraj Sheikh noted that what makes the project so impactful is that it’s led by the Hmong community itself versus a top down approach. “Restoring connection to the land is a crucial part of healing wounds for refugee populations,” she said. “Community GroundWorks is serving as a trusted advocate to advance the mission of equitable land and food access in order to heal the social fabric of which we are all a part.”

Westport Farm is located between Cherokee Marsh and Westport Prairie, where good land use practices are important to the health of the surrounding protected areas. A planned hiking trail connecting the two protected areas will pass through the community farm.