Producer

Rechhat Proum began farming on a 15-acre family farm in his home country, Cambodia. In 1980, Rechhat was forced to flee his country after it fell into turmoil under the Khmer Rouge. After spending three years in a refugee camp in Thailand, he immigrated to America. There, he lived in Wisconsin for three years to learn English before eventually settling down in Lowell, Massachusetts, where he worked in manufacturing while continuing to farm for his family. There, Rechhat was introduced to New Entry. He enrolled in the Farm Business Planning Course, and since graduating in 2004, Rechhat has expanded his business substantially, growing a large amount of produce for the New Entry Food Hub and for local Cambodian markets. Rechhat began farming on his current plot in Dracut, MA in 1993. The first year, he did not grow anything because there was such severe flooding: “I think I grew one cucumber,” he said. But today, his farm is brimming with a myriad of herbs, vegetables, and fruits. Although his wife and children joke that he’s “too old,” urging him to slow down, Rechhat says that as long as he is still eating, walking, and sleeping, he will continue to farm.