Let’s celebrate with our OA farmers the mini milestone they have achieved at the farm!
- Most plots are planted.
- Harvesting for bitter gourds, sweet corns and mini pumpkins have started.
- Greenhouse plants are coming along great; those not faring too well are being replaced.
- Okra, long beans, sweet potato leaves, spinach (bayam), ceylon spinach, chinese white radish, chillies, etc are doing well.
Come to think of it, it’s actually quite a huge milestone! We share their happiness that the many months of sheer hard work – long hours, heavy physical work and low income – are now bearing fruits.
Let’s also celebrate the personal milestone achieved by the farmers!
- They exude a greater level of confidence, a departure from the usual low confidence and low self-esteem experienced by many orang asli.
- They demonstrate a higher level of team spirit and communication, a departure from their usual reserved nature.
- They have learned to hang on, and to rise above their circumstances, a departure from their more laid-back lifestyle.
We also want to celebrate the privilege of journeying with the Orang Asli farmers at OA Organics and sowing into their dreams, and of being blessed in the process.
The farmers showed us what big hearts they have. They gathered the rejected corns which they had intended to take home to their families, started a wood fire and told us they would char the sweet corns to let us experience the ‘Asli‘ way of eating sweet corns! We had a mini sweetcorn party and shared the rejected corns (those not-so-pleasing-to-the-eyes but oh-so-yummy!).
It was a humbling experience for us – to be on the receiving end of such acts of hospitality and generosity.
