Kia Yang on a sunny day at her Good Earth Farm plot, pre-shed.
Kia Yang, a Hmong refugee farmer at SCLT’s Good Earth Farm in Hope, Rhode Island, was recently awarded a grant through the American Farmland Trust’s Brighter Future Fund to construct a tool and storage shed on her farm. The grant, which provides up to $5,000 to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women farmers nationwide, aims to strengthen farm resilience, enhance viability, and improve land access for traditionally underserved farming communities.
Yang’s farming journey spans continents and decades, beginning in Laos where her family operated a large farm producing rice, vegetables, and poultry. After moving to the United States in 1976, she quickly put down roots in Rhode Island’s agricultural community, starting with a community garden near her South Providence home. Four years ago, she expanded her operation to Good Earth Farm, where she now tends to a productive one-acre plot alongside other refugee farmers from Hmong and East African communities.
“I love it. I don’t want to stay home,” says Yang, who visits her farm daily to cultivate an impressive variety of crops including corn, bitterball, squash, peppers, scallions, celery, sweet potatoes, and cassava. Her produce reaches the community through multiple channels – the Broad Street Farmers Market, Sankofa World Market, and SCLT’s aggregation program, which distributes fresh vegetables to 14 hunger-relief agencies and operates produce prescription partnership program with the largest healthcare providers in Providence.
The new 10’x10′ shed will provide secure onsite storage for Yang’s farming equipment, fertilizer, drip tape, and other essential supplies. Currently, Yang stores her tools and supplies in multiple locations across Good Earth Farm’s 20-acre property, including a hoop house and greenhouse far from her field. This scattered storage situation requires significant time and energy that could be better spent on crucial farming tasks like planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting. The new shed’s proximity to her field will dramatically improve her daily operations.
The timing of this grant is particularly meaningful as Yang, who works with a part-time apprentice, recently renewed her lease for another five years at Good Earth Farm. The property has undergone significant infrastructure improvements since its acquisition by SCLT in July 2021, including major upgrades to its wastewater and irrigation pipeline systems. These improvements, combined with Yang’s new storage shed, will enhance both environmental sustainability and agricultural productivity at the farm.
Yang’s dedication to agricultural education is evident in her role as a mentor, having hosted apprentice Jairson Ascençao during the 2024 growing season, and again in the upcoming year. Her commitment to farming and community service, spanning over four decades in the United States, exemplifies how targeted support for individual farmers contributes to building a more resilient and equitable local food system in Rhode Island.
