New Roots Cooperative Farm purchases farmland
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 20, 2022
CONTACT: Omar Hassan, 207-319-6261, newrootscooperativefarm@gmail.com
Lewiston, Maine — Today, Jabril Abdi, Mohamed Abukar, Batula Ismail, and Seynab Ali, the four farmers of New Roots Cooperative Farm in Lewiston, purchased the 30-acre former dairy farm that New Roots has been leasing for the past five years. In 2015, the farmers worked with Maine Farmland Trust (MFT) to find a farm property in the Lewiston area that would suit the needs of their farm business. MFT bought the farm in 2015 and entered into a lease agreement with the farmers that included the option to purchase. While leasing, the farmers have been growing vegetables and developing farm infrastructure on the land. Now, thanks to perseverance and a robust community fundraising campaign, New Roots Cooperative Farm owns the farm outright.
Jabril Abdi: “My heart was really filled with gratitude and now I can see a better future for my community, as well as co-owners. Thank you so much!”
Batula Ismail: “This fuels me to work even harder for my community. I can finally say I have gotten what I have always dreamed of as a farmer. I got to own a farm, I did not know that was possible. Thank you for everything.”
Seynab Ali: “Your Financial support makes me really happy. Now I feel I can support others to my fullest potential. Thank you!”
Mohamed Abukar: “As a farmer I am very happy to have been supported by you and get a chance to purchase this farmland, I am very thankful for community support.”
New Roots Cooperative Farm is the first immigrant-owned co-op in Maine. New Roots has worked closely in the southern Maine community to help grow food for pantries, CSA members, wholesale customers, and farmers markets. The New Roots farmers have been working to achieve their goals of purchasing the land for several years that will enable them to continue to build a sustainable farm, provide food to the community, and improve the food economy in the local area long-term. As an agricultural cooperative, this group is stronger, being able to work together with the support of many organizations, including Cooperative Development Institute (CDI), Cultivating Community, and the Lewiston Good Food Council.
The property the farmers have purchased is protected from non-agricultural development thanks to the inclusion of an agricultural conservation easement held by MFT. The easement also helped make the property, which is located on College Ave, just a few miles from Bates College and downtown Lewiston, more affordable for the farmers.
“Affordable access to farmland is one of the biggest challenges farmers face across the country,” said Chris Franklin, project manager at MFT. “Agricultural easements are one of the best tools we have to help make farmland more affordable for farmers and ensure that the land will remain in agriculture in the future instead of being developed for other uses. It’s so great knowing this land will be actively farmed and stewarded by these farmers.”
The New Roots farmers have worked closely with MFT and the Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) as their business has grown. CDI’s Omar Hassan has supported the farmers since 2014 with business start-up and direct technical advising, cooperative development and market coordination. More recently, CDI has supported New Roots’ fundraising efforts. To raise the funds to purchase the property, the New Roots Cooperative farmers set up a Go Fund Me and raised over $150,000 from more than 500 donations. The money will go towards the purchase of the land as well as other improvements, such as soil amendments and equipment.
Omar Hassan from CDI: “I have watched this group of farmers grow, develop and go towards becoming a self-sufficient cooperative doing what they love to do–Farming. They are more passionate and driven than any farmers I have worked with. For example, the local communities have become reliant on them in the fight on food insecurity for more than 15 years. Honestly, this right here is a milestone for the New American Community. New Roots farmers are our inspiration to immigrant refugees and BIPOC communities across the nation for generations to come. Purchasing this piece of land is definitely the highlight of their farming career and shows how devoted they are.”
Earlier this month MFT awarded the farm a competitive grant of $50,000 to implement an updated business plan. These implementation grants are awarded only to farms that have successfully completed MFT’s Farming for Wholesale business planning program. The grant will enable New Roots to address production and distribution challenges by investing in more efficient and larger-scaled equipment, improving the soil, and constructing a cold storage facility.
Mohamed Sheik, New Roots Farm Coordinator: “The farmers are excited that our season for 2022 begins. They have faced many challenges over the years. These challenges included finding a market to sell their crops, getting the right support and resources needed to operate the farm, and COVID-19. Having the farm purchased will enable us to further focus on producing quality products and reduce labor inefficiency. Most of all, it will enable us in reaching our business plan goals, which includes broadening our market, getting better implements, and amending the soil for better results. Just wanted to say thank, thank, thank you for all the support from everyone involved in making the New Roots farmers’ dream come true.”
