Our Story
Asawana Farms is a Southern
Cameroonian / Ambazonian farm growing Specialty Vegetables in Upper Marlboro, MD
As the Watkins Park Incubator provided space to grow ethnic or African vegetables, Asawana Farms was conceived to not only grow food and build a diverse community, but more importantly to serve as bridge between African Americans and the Motherland.
Growing Food: Accessible and Sustainable Gardening for All
Asawana farms was started in the summer of 2022, in the height of a global pandemic. As the 6-year-old civil war in La Republique and Southern Cameroons was turning out thousands of refugees and IDPs, we started Amba Farmers Voice as an educational program to teach refugees and IDPs, simple and practical methods of growing food with very little resources.
After having conducted the program for over two years training farmers and refugees, it occurred to me to start a farm where I could practice what I teach to other people on TV and social media. I could practice growing African vegetables in empty rice bags or five-gallon buckets; I could try to practice how to grow Bitterleaf in the fall and winter, or just grow good vegetables like Anchia, Okongobong, etc. and most importantly serve as a bridge between African Americans and the Motherland through food.
“I started Asawana Farms to share my love for farming with my neighbors so that they too can taste some of the specialty vegetables that I grow.”
Isaac Zama, Founder