Nia Nyamweya - rooted in beauty
Nia Nyamweya is a returning generation farmer and owner of Beauty Blooms Farm in Montgomery County, MD. Below is her story.
equilibreyaum: Hi Nia! Tell me about your background, where did you grow up?
Nia Nyamweya: I grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland in a very loving home with my mom, dad, and older sister. I come from a multi-racial family. My dad is Kenyan and my mom, who is white was born in Washington, DC. My whole life I’ve been passionate about justice work - in particular gender and racial justice - and I think this came from how clearly different my white family member’s experience is versus my family who immigrated from Kenya.
My Kenyan family survived British colonial rule and when my parents were born, it was illegal for them to get married. So persisting and existing against all odds is part of my nature. I’m so proud of the family I come from and that’s what’s motivated me to work in various racial, economic and gender justice organizations in the DC area for my entire career up until farming. Farming has been a beautiful blend of my values of community, social change, and celebrating culture through food.
eqb: You're a returning generation farmer. What does that mean to you and how are you building upon that legacy?
NN: As a returning generation farmer, I’m connecting back with the land and work my family has known for centuries. All my grandparents were farmers, my dad’s side in Kenya and my mom’s side had a nursery in Madison, Virginia. I have really good memories of exploring the greenhouses there when I was a kid. Being a farmer to me means reconnecting with my roots, regenerating the land and creating lasting changes within the local food system.
I’m honored that I have the privilege of working with my dad and family to learn the cultural practices, songs, and recipes that nourished them for centuries. I hope to continue that legacy by celebrating Kenyan and African cultural heritage and sharing that with my community.
eqb: As a woman who is focused on African heritage crops, were there any challenges you faced when you started farming?
NN: I would say accessing farmland was the biggest barrier. Through Montgomery Countryside Alliance’s LandLink program, I was lucky to match with a landowner who had an unused paddock of land. This was how I started my farm and through relationship building, I was able to get my current lease through MD Parks. I would say there’s an abundance of land in the DC region and there’s so much potential for women farmers, especially beginning farmers, and it takes relationship building and getting to know people in rural areas to find the right fit.
“Being a farmer to me means reconnecting with my roots, regenerating the land and creating lasting changes within the local food system.”
eqb: Farming is intensive work. Do you have a strict schedule? Are there days where you just don't want to do it? How do you push yourself to keep going?
NN: One thing I make sure I do daily is get enough sleep, which for me is a full 8 hours. Building a routine that feels aligned with work/life balance and self-care is something I’m working on. Since it’s my third season farming and I’m still a relatively new business owner, there’s a lot of work and challenges that come with so many unknowns.
I am growing how I listen to my body and what it needs on a daily basis. There are days when I want different things - some days I crave more thinking work about which seeds to grow and crop planning and sometimes I’m feeling energized and want to shovel and spread compost. What keeps me going are my long-term goals of having a self-sustaining, thriving small-scale farm. It’s not always easy, but it is so worth it to have meaningful work in a farm business connected to my values.
eqb: What types of produce do you harvest on your farm and are there any types of produce you typically avoid harvesting?
NN: I harvest produce and herbs including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, basil, eggplants, winter squash, and mixed greens. I am excited to get more into perennial crops (ones that grow back every year without replanting) and herbs like yarrow, rosemary, eucalyptus and even some perennial collards! Those I take good care of and won’t harvest until they’re 2-3 years old.
eqb: That’s a lot of years and a lot of patience! You also have such gorgeous flowers on your farm! Have you always grown flowers? Which type is your favorite to grow and which is your favorite to add to a bouquet and have on display?
NN: Yes! Sunflowers bring so much joy and I love them because of how easy they are to grow, even if you have a small garden. My favorite for a bouquet is carrot flowers when they go to seed! They look like fluffy, white, firework puffs :)
eqb: You grow some pretty impressive crops, flowers and herbs. What is one thing that you're most proud of growing?
NN: I’m so proud of chinsaga, it’s an edible variety of the cleome flower and a crop that I grew up eating and that my dad would grow in our family garden at home. You can find my family’s recipe here.
eqb: You believe that all people have a right to delicious, nutritious and culturally important food that’s affordable and grown locally. Can you talk about how your farm is working towards that goal?
NN: My first season of farming I grew over 900 lbs of food that was provided to the Farm to Food Bank Program in Montgomery County. I was able to double that last year, and hope to double it again this year. I happily participate in Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), accept SNAP and WIC benefits at the farmers market to support locally grown food for folks participating in public benefit programs. I really dream about an entirely self-sufficient food system and that everyone has access to high quality, locally & naturally grown food.
“What keeps me going are my long-term goals of having a self-sustaining, thriving small-scale farm. It’s not always easy, but it is so worth it to have meaningful work in a farm business connected to my values.”
eqb: Your mission is to celebrate cultural heritage through food. What are some ways you honor the complexity of your multi-racial roots and mixed heritage, from both the Abagusii tribe in Kenya and of European ancestry?
NN: I honor my multi-racial roots by growing crops that have cultural importance from different parts of the world. For example, I have extended family from Armenia and I love growing Armenian cucumbers and hearing the stories of how they grew up eating them.
eqb: Congrats on expanding your farm to 6 acres in 2022! How did you feel when you saw this new opportunity before you? How did the expansion change your farming methods?
NN: Thank you! I felt both excited and humbled. My first two seasons I grew on an ⅛ acre which is about 50 x 100 feet. So transitioning to the 6 acres was a huge upgrade/undertaking. I still grow everything with hand-powered tools and now I’ve had to scale up with a BCS walk-behind tractor.
The new land has brought new challenges that I couldn’t have expected/planned for and new things to learn, like water conservation since there is no well. This has opened up new opportunities and ways of growing like dry farming, that I'm excited to explore in the coming seasons.
eqb: Has climate change affected your farm in any way?
NN: Yes, and I think climate change will continue to increase the unpredictability of weather patterns over time. What I love about small-scale regenerative farming is that it’s a healing process. By not tilling the soil and planting cover crops, you can increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil, which can help reduce greenhouse gases.
eqb: What would you say is the most rewarding part of managing a produce and flower farm?
NN: There are so many rewarding parts! Number one would be sharing food with people and having friends and family out to the farm. I love the joy that sharing food brings me. I also love the creative decisions I get to make about all aspects of the farm. It is both an outlet for the things I’m good at (bringing people together, being detail oriented for seed starting and harvest schedules) and spaces I need to grow (spreadsheets)!
eqb: What advice do you have for someone who wants to begin farming?
NN: I highly recommend Beginning Farmer Training Programs. Here in the Mid-Atlantic, Future Harvest has a great program that blends classroom learning, on-farm field days, and hearing experiences directly from farmers. That program helped me learn so much and was the start of me exploring how small-scale farming here in Montgomery County was a possibility!
eqb: How can someone support Beauty Blooms Farm?
NN: Check out our website to learn more about how you can support! There is a link to donate and we’ll post a link to volunteer days soon. Feel free to reach out anytime!
eqb: Thank you so much for sharing your story, Nia. You’re an inspiration! Is there anything else you’d like to share?
NN: Thanks so much for this opportunity to share, Breya!
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