Rukia Chivala: A Remarkable Woman in Agriculture

 
As a child growing up in Somalia, Rukia Chivala remembers working in the fields at five years old and learning about farming from her mother.  Rather than go to school, she farmed with her family.  Now a farmer with Growing Colorado in Denver, Rukia says she farms because “sitting around does not suit me.”  A full-time employee at a childcare center, Rukia spends her evenings and weekends farming her own community garden plot and with Growing Colorado, an organization that partners refugee farmers with homeowners willing to donate yard space for gardening.  Growing food gives Rukia something to look forward to, she explains, and at times supplements her income as well.  When other members of the Somali Bantu community in Denver ask why she farms, she answers that it is part of her history. “We had to do it in Somalia…in America many just go to Wal-Mart.”  Rukia’s experience inspires her to teach others about the importance of growing their own food, and she has seen firsthand what a difference it makes to women refugees in particular.   When women refugees farm, Rukia explains, they gain the power of the field and do not need a man to be in power; “Women feel their power on the farm.” She is proud to pass on this knowledge and power, as well as what she continues to learn from year to year, growing new things to harvest and eat.  Some favorites to harvest include beans and corn.  “Somali Bantu are the best farmers, and have a lot to teach others,” says Rukia.
 

In the future, Rukia hopes to farm her own land.  While she remembers that in Somalia farmers would “suffer for 90 days with the new land,” then “it would be time to harvest and they would have no worries.  If you have land you can farm and grow food on, you have everything you need in life.”