With the concept of an international multicultural-agro village, the Refugee Family Services (RFS) organized a community-head based discussion on Monday at the Clarkston Community Center, Atlanta
Bhutanese, Iraqi, Burundian, Somali and Jamaican community heads participated in this program that begun with the history of the project present by Susan of the RFS.
According to her, this program was inspired by the community garden activities that have been taking place in Cedar Creek, at the back of Willow Branch, Stone Mountain, Southern Place and North Chase.
She also mentioned that Atlanta has received a good federal grant as Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program.
Robin Chanin, the coordinator for the community garden project from RFS, stated that this project has been pushed forward with the vision that different communities coming from various parts of the world would have their cultural food and start developing community market and if actively carried out, turning into a farming village.
The event also saw a small video developed on community gardening in Idaho, with the support from Idaho Power.
A Bhutanese participant Dhan Rai said that there would be an agricultural village very soon if all community members play their own part.
While, the Iraqi community expressed that there would be the development of agricultural market having a good selling of fruits and vegetables.
Meanwhile, another Bhutanese participant Pashupati Timsina expressed his hope that there would be the development of multicultural agricultural village, which provides employment to many people.
During the discussion phase, people said that different types of processing and refining activities could be developed especially for milk and meat.
According to Pabitra Rijal from the Bhutanese community despite the agricultural activities, livestock could be developed like poultry keeping, rearing goat, sheep, cows, etc. Similarly, other participants also expressed that school, bank for saving and getting loan, community faith based programs, parks and recreation among others could be the essential part for that farming village.
The gathering also discussed that agricultural education like use of modern technology, knowledge on season, seeds, climate, skills, equipment, training, would be the primary need.
(With inputs from Pashupati Timsina from Georgia)
