Naima Dhore in Minneapolis is a woman with a mission: to help her fellow Somali immigrants grow their own traditional food in small urban farms in their own localities. Dhore who is a certified organic farmer has taught the tenants of Horn Towers, a public housing complex in south Minneapolis, to grow okra, sorghum, cowpeas and hibiscus in their community garden. Twenty-eight raised beds house nearly 100 cultivated varieties (or cultivars) of plants in just an eighth of an acre behind Horn Towers. Dhore has devised a fellowship program for 20 of the resident farmers, pairing them based on their experience and guiding and encouraging them to experiment and share knowledge. As they harvest the plentiful crops on their farm, the elders share stories and experiences in what they have come to regard as their own space.

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