Taking Farming Back To Its Collective Roots

Adding vibrancy and diversity to the local food scene in Minnesota in the US, the Hmong-American farmers have earned their place on the agricultural landscape. But they have not been spared the challenges that face small-scale farmers everywhere. Lindi Botha spoke to Pakou Hang about the structures in place to uplift their community.

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Hmong-American farmers occupy a unique place in the history of Minnesota’s local food movement. After Hmong people from Laos and Thailand began resettling in Minnesota in the US in the 1970s as political refugees after the Vietnam War, many families relied on their agricultural heritage to make a living growing produce and flowers for local farmers’ markets.

By the late 1980s, Hmong farmers had revitalised farmers’ markets in the state, transforming them into some of the most vibrant markets in the country while also converting Minnesotans to Thai chilli peppers and Chinese bok choy. They provided the fresh produce that fuelled the exponential growth of farmers’ markets into suburban communities and urban corridors, and greatly increased the supply of nutritious, affordable food.

Today, Hmong-American farmers are leading the state’s local food economy, and make up more than 50% of all the farmers in metropolitan farmers’ markets. They are at the centre of a Minnesota-based local foods economy that generates over $250 million (about R3,7 billion) in annual sales. But despite their popularity and success in changing the food landscape, Hmong farmers, much like other small-scale farmers, continue to face barriers to accessing land, finance, training, research and markets, and building sustainable family businesses rather than surviving from month to month.

SUPPORT FROM THE HUB

Pakou Hang, an investment banker, is a Hmong American living among the 75 000 Hmong people in Minnesota. She decided to create a model where farmers could share resources, participate in training, and grow to become bona fide, self-sustaining farmers.