Photograph by Guy Hand
Abu muktar Abdi,
Mother and Children Farm
“This corn is different because this is harder. It is not as sweet as the American corn. This is something that I bring to the market, but that’s what we use at home.”
Abu Muktar Abdi, a Samali Bantu refugee, arrived in Boise 10 years ago, “We lived in villages and it was hard because people got scattered.”
The culture shock lessened with time. Abu has noticed that stores in the Treasure Valley now sell Somali Bantu foods, “The community is great. You can’t describe in words except to just give gratitude, and happiness, and appreciation.”
In addition to his full-time job as a nurse at St. Luke’s, Abu farms and sells produce at the Boise Farmers Market. He grows vegetables because he wants everyone in Boise to eat healthy and he became a nurse to help the refugee community access healthcare.
Alongside kale and other vegetables at his stall, customers will find traditional foods of the Somali Bantu, like African Corn, which he grew as a child with his mother and grandmother.