Join us at Asawana Farms for an engaging Open Mic gathering where we’ll spotlight the traditional crops we grow and the farming practices that connect agriculture to culture, health, and conservation. This experience explores how growing culturally significant crops is more than food production — it’s a way of preserving plant diversity, protecting ancestral knowledge, and keeping food heritage alive in a world dominated by monoculture farming. In a time when many ethnic crops are being left behind, we’re bringing them back to the center — where they belong.

Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conserving-culture-through-ethnic-crops-tickets-1984825785354?aff=oddtdtcreator

This will be an in-person event! Networking and refreshments begin at 4:30pm. The program will start promptly at 5pm.

What we’ll explore:

• A guided walk through what’s growing now — and what will be planted in Spring 2026
• Hands-on bed preparation for medicinal crops like bitter leaf, scent leaf, and Ugu
• Open mic storytelling and discussions on the origins, traditional uses, and modern relevance of some of these crops

Connecting farming to conservation through:

• Agrobiodiversity through heirloom and non-GMO ethnic crops that support pollinators naturally
• Regenerative soil practices rooted in traditional farming wisdom
• Cultural preservation through food, language, recipes, and history — keeping names like Njamanjama and Ugu alive and connecting the African American diaspora to the motherland through food crops
• Community empowerment that strengthens food sovereignty, resilience, and health

With growing recognition — including institutions like the University of Maryland Medical Center incorporating ethnic crops into wellness and nutrition — traditional foods are proving their value today more than ever. Come learn, share and preserve culture with us — one story and one seed at a time. And be prepared to taste ‘bitter leaf’ or the signature and right of passage crop.

About Isaac Zama

Isaac Zama’s journey into regenerative organic farming began in Njong village near Bamenda, in Southern Cameroons, where he learned to farm alongside his mother and discovered that agriculture is not just work, but culture, community, and care for the land. That foundation grew into a lifelong mission supported by advanced training at University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, deepening his focus on sustainability and food as medicine. Today, he brings this vision to life at Asawana Farms in Upper Marlboro, where he grows medicinal Afro-Caribbean crops and teaches communities how to restore soil, improve health, and strengthen food security. His work also extends globally through training farmers in Walewale, Ghana with USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program, sharing knowledge through SCBC TV, and contributing research at the École Nationale des Eaux et Forêts in Gabon—all guided by one purpose: using regenerative farming to empower communities, preserve culture, and heal both people and the planet.

UMD Local Food Systems & Entrepreneurship Program Updates with Dr. Pride Ebile

One thing Pride has consistently heard from farmers across the state: farming isn’t just hard in the field; it’s hard in business. Rising costs, paperwork, regulations, marketing decisions, labor, and recordkeeping can quietly drain time and money, even when production is strong. In the coming months, UMD Extension will offer practical programs and webinars focused on the real farm business issues farmers raise. Tonight, Pride will touch on the challenges smallholders face and why making a profit isn’t enough for them to stay in business. Dr. Pride Ebile is the Local Food Systems and Entrepreneurship Specialist with University of Maryland Extension, based in Prince George’s County. He leads initiatives in local foods, entrepreneurship, and marketing, working with partners to strengthen farm and food businesses, support rural communities, and promote economic growth statewide.