Producer

Comfort Gayyean, originally from Liberia, has seen all sorts of highs and lows since the start of her farm in Dracut, MA. She was introduced to New Entry through her friend and colleague, Margaret Gichuki. 2021 was her first year farming. “I’m grateful that my farm is doing well now,” said Margaret. “At the start of my farm, we had a lot...A LOT of rain. The rain was so much that we couldn’t even get to the farm. We had to walk through the water." With climate change, Comfort has been experiencing extreme weather events such as this. But today, she is faced with a new problem: drought.

She hopes to expand her farm to include more African crops but says she’s “not there yet.” To grow cassava leaf – a crop she enjoyed in Libera and has received many requests for in Dracut – would require a special place to process the plant. “You grow it, then you take the leaf and blend or grind it, process it, freeze it, and sell it.” She also hopes to add potato greens, which are another heavily demanded crop in Africa.

“I do love farming, I really admire it,” she says, reflecting on her last year. “When you’re on the farm, you feel so good – you feel that joy within you. You begin to realize that all the labor, it was worth it. You start to truly enjoy yourself. You feel satisfied.”