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Cambodian Seniors Gardening Project
In 2001, members of the Cambodian Nutrition Collaborative discussed the idea of creating a gardening project for the seniors in the Nutrition Program. The goal was to create an activity that would allow seniors to play a more proactive role within the CSNP by growing food for the nutrition program and create a closer connection with a natural environment through this outdoor, physical activity.
In 2006, CSNP staff approached Our
Lady of Mount
Carmel
Cambodian Center with a proposal to create the gardening
project. By May, through the efforts of Mary Blatz of Mount Carmel,
CSNP was a awarded a grant from the Neighborhood Partners Program of
the
City of
The grant ended in 2007, but the gardening project continued to grow. CSNP sought a culturally knowledgeable professional gardener to teach the seniors and staff proper methods of gardening and maintenance. The program was able to find a Khmer professional whose expertise extended to both native Cambodian vegetables and flowers.
Today, the garden is a beautiful and thriving environment with plants that the CSNP continues to care for. Plants grown in the garden include various herbs and vegetables such as ngo om (rice paddy herb), hot basil, ngo gai (saw leaf herb), basil, white basil, kapucha, cucumber, fuzzy squash (fuzzy melon), and bitter melon.
The project has been quite a journey – from Cambodia and the Killing Fields of Khmer Rouge to growing a community garden in Long Beach. If you'd like a "tour" of the garden, please view our 4.5 minute video (please view with Quicktime).
