Hmong
The Hmong living in the United States today predominantly came from Laos, a small landlocked country in mainland Southeast Asia. The United States began accepting Hmong refugees into the country in 1975 in recognition of the great sacrifice they made for the U.S. as soldiers during the Vietnam War.
Farmer Profile —Vang Mee
Vang Mee sells her vegetables at the Brookline Farmer's Market. Vang Mee graduated from the NESFP training program in 2004.
Vang Mee grew up in Laos and worked on her family's farm, growing many vegetables such as rice, peppers, onions, yellow and green beans, corn and pumpkins. She came to the U.S. in 1992 after living in a refugee camp in Thailand for eleven years. She now lives in Fitchburg and enjoys farming as a way to reconnect with her homeland and to teach her children about her life in Laos. They plant pumpkin vines, pea tendrils, amaranth, chinese broccoli, bok choy, mustard greens, water spinach and herbs. For many years Vang Mee simply grew vegetables for her family. Since she began farming on Bolton Flats farm, in Lancaster, and received training through the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Vang Mee's operations have expanded into growing for the commercial market. Vang Mee has been a regular vendor at Boston area farmers' markets, including the Brookline and Newton markets. In 2002, Vang Mee traveled to California to visit other immigrant farming projects with the NESFP staff. She hopes to continue developing her farm enterprise amidst the challenging demands of taking care of her children and grandchildren.
Country Facts
Laos, one of the last remaining communist states, is also one of the poorest countries in the world. After centuries of gradual decline of the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, Laos came under the control of Siam until it became a part of French Indochina. In 1975, Communist forces under the leadership of Pathet Lao overthrew the monarchy and took control of the government and enforced a strict communist regime aligned with Vietnam. Laos has seen the gradual return of private enterprise since 1986.
Location: Southeastern Asian, northeast of Thailand
Capital: Vientiane
Area: Slightly larger than Utah, with a total land area of 236,800 sq km, Land: 230,800 sq km, Water: 6,000 sq km
Climate: Tropical with a monsoon season
Terrain: Mostly rugged mountains
Land Use: Arable land: 3.8%, Permanent crops: 0.35%
Irrigated Land: 1,640 sq km, varying with the rainy season
Environmental Issues: Deforestation, soil erosion, poor water quality
Population: 6,217,141
Life Expectancy: 55.08 years
GDP per capita: $390
Under 5 mortality rate (per 1000 live births): 83
Ethnic Groups: Lao Loum (lowland), Lao Theung (upland), Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao
Languages: Lao, French, English, and various ethnic languages
Major Religions: Buddhism, animism, and others
Agriculture
Laos remains a country with a primitive infrastructure; it has no railroads, a rudimentary road system (although the government has done some work to improve this), and limited external and internal telecommunications. Subsistence agriculture provides 80% of total employment. Most of this is done using the technique of swiddening (slash and burn).
Religion is quite tied to agriculture and practices such as asking spirits to leave a site before planting, and making an offering of incense and a chicken after the harvest are common.
Agriculture Products: Sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Traditional Foods
Laos has a tradition of using many sour or pickled preserves because of the shortage of salt in the country. Most of a Hmong's daily calories are from the carbohydrates/grain group. Meats and fish are used in small amounts as enhancements (though fish sauces are common). Popular fruits are bananas, mangos, pineapples, coconuts, lichees, and jackfruit. Fresh milk and cheese are typically unavailable and seldom eaten due to lactose intolerance. Relatively few households in Laos eat sweets. Most are not equipped with ovens to bake desserts. A steamed rice cake may be eaten occasionally.
Breakfast: light soup with rice, pumpkin, vegetables, chicken, or pork (eaten very early)
Lunch: non-glutinous rice, fried or steamed meat, pork, chicken, or beef (eaten at 12:00 noon or before).
