Know your Farmer - Mohamed Abukar

Each week we profile one of the CSA farmers who grows your food. You can also get to know your farmer by visiting him or her at a farm stand or farmer's market, or by visiting our farm sites during a monthly Friday Farm Tour event (There's one this week! See below for details).

This week your featured farmer is Mohamed Abukar. Mohamed provides CSA shares for staff at Bates College. He also provides CSAs and produce at the South Portland Farmers' Market and the Bath Farmers' Market.

In addition to selling at farmers' markets and through the CSA, Mohamed sells large quantities of wholesale produce to four area food pantries. He also pools his produce with other Fresh Start Farms growers to provide wholesale quantities of vegetables for schools, summer camps, specialty markets, restaurants, food pantries, and larger distributors.

From Mohamed - I am from Somalia originally and came to Maine in 2004 from a refugee camp in Kenya, where I spent 12 years. I joined Fresh Start Farms in 2007. 

Farming is something I have been doing my whole life. While there are differences in how I farm here, I brought the knowledge and experience to become a successful farmer and I apply them here in Maine.

I continue to learn what my customers want and need. I love when my customers tell me what they like so I can grow these things for them.

In the future I would like to grow my business, have animals and be able to sell meat and eggs but my future is God’s will.

I have chosen to be a farmer here and if I were somewhere else, I would still be farming. As a farmer I know I will always have fresh food. 

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Monthly farm visits for CSA members and volunteers:

THIS Friday, October 3 from 12:00p – 2:00p in Lisbon 

RSVP with Ashley if you would like to attend: fsf@cultivatingcommunity.org & (207) 761-GROW.