Farmer Spotlight: Jabril Abdi

Farmer Spotlight:

Jabril Abdi

“Farming is good. They will know that when their stomachs are empty”

        “I was a farmer when I was young, and now I am a farmer again, I will always be a farmer. If anybody says that farms and farming is no good, they are wrong, and they will know that when their stomach is empty”. Jabril has been farming his whole life. When he arrived in Lewiston, he was told about the project and joined some of his friends out in the field. He already had knowledge, and familiarity with farming, it seemed natural for him to start planting seeds. Although the soil that he digs in here is different, and more consistent than the soil in Africa, which is in places red, white and brown”.

Although he has sold his product before too, here it is different: “Here you put everything out on the table, you have to advertise yourself” instead of just letting your product speak for you. That makes it hard to market here, but his children are involved with his business, especially the marketing end of it. When I asked him what his favorite part of his business is, he saw it all as interchangeable. He plants the seeds, he invests so that he can give at the markets in exchange for financial support. “I am happy to be at the market selling, it means that my investment is working, and people are lining up to support me” Lettuce, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, are his favorite, and most are new to him, but he knows that if you don’t have those on your table, costumers wont come by. “If my costumers come to my farm, I know they will be happy with what they see. I would love it if my costumers would tell their friends about me, and about our program. Let people support us, because even if you have nothing, you can put seeds into the ground”.