A Walk Through Transplanting Traditions, a Burmese Refugee farm

A few weekends ago, Transplanting Traditions, a Chapel Hill community farm and nonprofit celebrated their 15th anniversary with a farm dinner. I had an invitation to attend, and was immediately impressed by the beauty of their land, the incredible community they’ve created, and their programs. 

This 8-acre farm provides land for Burmese refugees who have relocated to the Triangle, all of whom were farmers in their home countries. They are able to bring their traditional food and farming practices here. Transplanting Traditions is a space for collaboration, celebrating their culture, reconnecting with land, sharing agricultural practices, and modeling food sovereignty. 

As a business, Transplanting Traditions is only growing. They have already exceeded $1 million dollars in sales. They run a CSA program called Share-a-Share where people can buy CSAs to donate to local Burmese families, teen leadership programming, and farmer education. 

The founder, Kelly Owensby and new Executive Director, Ree Ree Wei discussed their gratitude for the turnout and overall support that has provided funding and momentum over the last 15 years. Ree Ree started as a youth leader in one of their refugee programs 10 years ago and at 23 is now running the organization. Her passion for strengthening their refugee community, building healthy food systems, storytelling and education was evident and it was inspiring to hear her story. 

Before dinner, as the sun was setting on the turning leaves, I walked around the farm and stopped by the fields. I saw greens like bok choy and kale, lemongrass, and hibiscus and the last of summer vegetables including tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. The farm had massive trellises wound with gourds, greenhouses, hoop houses, and rows and rows of vegetables. It was incredible to know that the people tending to the land had agency, the ability to connect with the earth and that there was a much bigger purpose of farming besides making money. 

And at last, dinner was served. The dinner tables were decorated with colorful flowers from their fields, and the dinner was delicious: pumpkin-coconut curry, a radish salad, and sticky rice for dessert. During the meal, we heard from youth, farmers and collaborators about their experiences being involved in the organization which demonstrated the impact of Transplanting Traditions. 

As I left the farm at the end of the evening, guided by the tiki torches in the fields, I felt so happy to have been able to see the magic of their community and excited to see how they grow in the coming years. Later in the week, they announced that they raised over $15,000 from their fundraising efforts. 

You can purchase their produce at the Carrboro & Chapel Hill Farmers Markets, Weaver Street Markets and directly through Freshspire.