Getting To Our Roots

My mom loves to garden and when she became a vegan, I started to see her begin planting food more and more. From pots of basil to tomatoes in a ground, she had crops every season when she lived in the United States. I was always impressed! So it’s no surprise that when she went back to Ghana, a new garden has been planted with the same crops and new additions like coconut trees, yams and aloe vera plants, just to name a few.

Agriculture is vital to livelihoods in West Africa and has deep roots in the founding of America. America’s soul and southern comfort food that we eat and enjoy today can be traced to the enslaved West Africans who brought their foodways and culinary skills with them during their forced journey to America centuries ago. 

The C2Community Garden is designed to connect Americans with their West African peers in a shared cultivation experience. Our first American plots will be in Washington DC and I have secured plots in a community garden in Ward 8, an historically African American predominant neighborhood. 

We have a plots on great land in a location with great potential. We are in need of materials to get the land cleared out and ready to plant.

Our plots need to be weeded and resoiled immediately. We want to begin winterizing the space and preparing for crop to bloom this coming Spring season.

Our goal is to grow produce to create African-inspired meals and flowers to make essential oils. Produce will include yams, tomatoes, spinach and onions. We would also like to grow lavender and mint (in pots).

In addition to a garden in the United States, we plan to start a garden simultaneously in West African. Our first West African garden will be in Prampram, Ghana where we have also secured garden space. The goal of this campaign is to raise fund to support the launch of both gardens, that are designed to create a combined growing experience for participants in the US and West Africa.