On May 21, 2026, it was an honor to welcome Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks to the Asawana Farms stand during the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center Food is Medicine Open House.
On April 4, 2026, Asawana Farms had the great honor of welcoming 24 Environmental Studies students from the Edmund Burke School in Washington, DC for a day of volunteering, learning, and hands-on farm experience.
At Asawana Farms, one of our greatest joys is welcoming people who are curious about learning how to grow their own food. On March 8, 2026, we had the pleasure of hosting three motivated young ladies who came to the farm eager to gain hands-on knowledge as the growing season approaches here in Maryland.
Asawana Farms welcomed a team of mechanical engineering students from University of Maryland, College Park for an in-depth, on-site visit connected to a proposed Capstone design project. What began as a classroom concept is now taking shape as a real-world collaboration aimed at solving one of the most pressing challenges facing small-scale specialty crop farmers: affordable greenhouse heating.
At Asawana Farms, every visit is an opportunity to plant more than seeds — we plant knowledge, confidence, and community resilience. Recently, we had the privilege of hosting 21 youths from Sandstone Care, a residential treatment center in Rockville, Maryland, at the Urban Farm Incubator (UFI), where our farm is located.
At Asawana Farms, one of our core missions is to grow culturally significant crops that nourish both the body and the community. One such crop is bitter leaf — a tropical plant deeply valued in many African cuisines and traditional healing practices. While it thrives naturally in warm climates, growing bitter leaf in Maryland’s changing seasons — especially through winter — is a true test of patience, skill, and community collaboration.
On a morning when most people would prefer staying wrapped in blankets, sipping warm tea, and watching winter through the window, Rasim & Malik bundled up and headed to Asawana Farms.
On December 27, 2025, we were honored to welcome Charles Rominiyi, Manager of The Well at Oxon Run, at DC Greens to Asawana Farms! One of the most powerful takeaways from our time with DC Greens was hearing how they understand healthy food as a fundamental human right — not a privilege.
In spite of the biting winter cold, Asawana Farms had the joy of welcoming Harmony, a University of Maryland student who came not only to volunteer, but to learn how we grow organic vegetables and care for the land.
