DunleiTh COMMUNITY GARDEN (2009)

First Team, Aycock Gardens: Daniel Woodham, YSiu Hlong, Andrew Young, MDA ESOL class, Goat Lady Farm (2009, first preparation and planting, then known as Aycock Gardens)

Subsequent Team, Dunleith Gardens : Montagnard Women's Learning Group, Betsy Renfrew, Ngach Rahlan, Hlang Romah, Karla MacDonald, Claire Morse,  et al. (2011 – present)

Brief: 

Aycock Gardens 2009

Daniel Woodham, ELT director at MDA, had been testing Montagnards' farming knowledge and skills through his own urban farming work. When a plot of land within easy walking distance to the MDA office became available, he was able to mobilize friends and allies to start what eventually became Dunleith Community Gardens, one of the prettiest and oldest of neighborhood gardens in continuous usage. In June 2009, MDA students took a short ride to Chestnut Street in Greensboro and broke ground for a new six-acre urban garden experiment located in the heart of the city. Under the watchful eyes of Daniel Woodham, Urban Harvest's Daniel Leiker, and Brent from Goat Lady Dairy, a Triad leader in sustainable agriculture, Dega students quickly turned unused land into a new garden space. (Photos by Betsy Renfrew)

This work and the advanced training provided by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association resulted in Goat Lady Farm hiring Montagnards for its community-supported agriculture (CSA) program managed by Daniel. Dunleith continued to thrive due to the active participation and organizational efforts of Aycock neighborhood members. Because of their original work starting Dunleith, Montagnards have continued group projects which have included raising vegetables to sell at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market. 

Community investment and desired outcomes: 

___________________________

See

• Montagnard  training at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association annual conference in Black Mountain, NC (documentation photos below)

• Women's Learning Group

___________________________

Related 

• Young, A., Khin H, Ksor, K Montagnard Women’s Learning Group grant report (Oct 2012). A slideshow presentation to funders explaining the impact on community. Moses Cone Foundation. Greensboro, NC

• Young, A., Xiong, D., Ksa, K., Siu, L., Tahirou, A. et al (Feb 2013). Farming Opportunities for Immigrant and Refugee Communities. Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI USA) Come to the Table Conference. UNCG Greensboro, NC. Hmong, Montagnard, Congolese and Karen farming traditions.

• Sudha, S., Morrison, S., Young, A., Dharod, J., Siu, H. W., Siu, L, Ksor, H V., Mlo, B, Sayers, J., Southerland, C. Family, food strategies, and hypertension risk in the Montagnard refugee community of North Carolina. Symposium: Family, Food, and Health: Hypertension in a Southeast Asian refugee community in the Southern US. Southern Gerontological Society, Little Rock, AR