Yves Doumen anticipated the feeling of culture shock when he moved from Cameroon Africa to Springfield in 2017.
But he wasn’t prepared for the food desert in his new neighborhood on the city’s east side, which made it hard to savor the taste of home.
“I wasn’t able to find certain ingredients for the meals I was used to eating, and having experience in agriculture from Africa allowed me to notice the problem immediately,” he said. “I saw it as an opportunity to not only use my skills but as a way to give back.”
Doumen volunteered at several food banks and community gardens to get a better understanding of the issues that plagued the east side of the city. He later bought a lot to grow food for the neighborhood and taught people how to plant through his own community project, the Motherland Gardens.
“You can tell someone ‘hey, this burger is not good for you’ but sometimes that won’t make a difference if they feel like that’s their only option,” he said. “If you teach people how to produce, select the ingredients, and properly cook it, they’re most likely to make a better choice. “
The Motherland Garden is located on the east side of Springfield, off of 15th and Cook Street. The project aims to reduce disparities in access to fresh and healthy food in underserved communities.
“In the part of the city where we are, the neighborhood has been abandoned and disinvested, so trust has been lost which is why we take a person-centered approach in what we’re doing,” Doumen said. “We’re trying to build trust so anyone can stop by the garden to receive produce for free or grow their own,”
“We’re also using the garden to build social capital because people can come here to talk and grow food that is culturally relevant to them,” he added. “There are people who come to the garden and don’t know where to start so we work with them one on one.”
Evangelina Garcia, a volunteer of the project, said she’s been able to give Doumen insight on food that is culturally relevant to her as a Mexican American. She moved to Springfield from Beardstown and also struggled to find food that made her feel at home.
“He (Doumen) had never heard of tomatillos or serrano peppers, so I was able to talk to him about that and other foods I grew up with to include in the garden. He’s doing everything he can to make it culturally diverse and it feels good to be a part of the effort.”
Garcia said she hopes the effort causes officials to invest more resources into the city for agricultural education.
“The city should get more involved in doing things like this in lots or in people’s yards because if we had more education for the people in poverty on how to sustain themselves, it would help,” she said.
Doumen said the project also has a bee keeping program that teaches people how to produce fresh honey. An orchard is located next to the garden to help the bees pollenate.
“For many people, the honey that they know is the honey they find at the grocery store,” he said. “We’re trying to show them they can make their own, and it can be produced 100% natural.”
The garden sits on one acre and is divided into four sections. It has served over 200 people since its launch.
In the coming year, Doumen hopes the project will expand on growing specialty ethnic food dear to his home like cassava, plantain, and cocoyam.
“The goal is to build a greenhouse because some foods require a longer growing season than others.”
A grand opening for the Motherland Garden location will take place on Saturday Aug. 26 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 815 S. 15th St. There will be tours of the garden, a play area for youth, and community entertainment.
The Motherland Garden project is funded primarily through Doumen’s personal finances with the help of grants and donations. The garden has 66 raised bed with 40 different crops including veggies, ethnic food, fruits trees, and grapes.
“My grandma taught me at a young age to be an asset to the community, so to build something from scratch and see people getting involved is a dream come true,” Doumen said. “This will be an opportunity for us to thank the community and volunteers who have been with us since day one. We are gonna stay grounded because we have more to come.”
For more information about the project visit www.motherlandgardenscommunityproject.org