CHICAGO — It could be a scene from a distant land: Women in long, colorful skirts and men in traditional garments are tending to a small, lush farm, where chopped, fermented daikon is spread out to dry. A daikon is a large white radish.
But this scene takes place off Chicago’s Lawrence Avenue.
Hidden in a quiet corner of the city’s busy Albany Park neighborhood, the Global Garden Refugee Training Farm is tended by natives of Congo, Bhutan and Burma. It is the only refugee farm in Illinois.
Founded with government funding, the 2-year-old farm covers slightly more than an acre. It gives refugees living in the city an opportunity to return to the farm lives many left behind. It allows them to grow fresh vegetables for traditional dishes, to get fresh air, exercise and socialize.