Making a Way Out of No Way
Shining Light on a Farm Journey
BY nia nyamweya
in her life , she completed her dream of obtaining an education , and became an avid linguist . That spark she lit ninety years ago is the same fire that blazes in my spirit today .
Born and raised in Silver Spring , I grew up in a loving , creative , and eclectic home where my parents instilled in me a love of community and the land . Still , my path to farming has not been a linear one . Like most of my peers , I went to college and graduated with a liberal arts degree . After nearly a decade in the nonprofit sector in various roles for racial , economic and gender justice , I was ready to continue work aligned with my values , yet I also wanted a change of scene , a deeper way of connecting to the land and my culture .
Farming allows me to combine my values for community , appreciation of beauty , and sustainability into tangible results . Both sets of my grandparents were farmers , and it felt natural to return to the land . Becoming a farmer was an exciting , albeit challenging , step . Similar to any vocation change , photo : Nick Walker
In the 1930s in Kisii , Kenya , my grandmother Truphena Getega Maobe Nyamweya was a young woman who had a lifelong love of learning . At night , she would gather with a few women in her village . They would collect dried corn cobs , commonly used for cooking fire , and light the ends . Under the cover of night , the embers on the corn cobs would light their only book and with the collective knowledge they had , they taught themselves to read .
What now seems like a small act , was for her an act of courage and determination . Strict gender roles were exacerbated under British colonial rule and did not allow Kisii women to obtain an education . Armed with a resilient spirit , she read anyway , and continued with hope and perseverance to envision a world that was not yet reality , but totally possible . Later
Nia ’ s grandmother , Truphena ( right ) and her sister , Agnes ( left ) in Kisii , Kenya .
PHOTO : Cleve Nyamweya
plenty I spring sowing 2023 7