Four programs helping immigrants, refugees and underserved Iowans grow a farm business

Iowa has farmland in abundance, but astonishingly little of that land is used to grow food for humans — especially not food for Iowans. It’s too bad, because the state is full of folks with the skills and desire to nourish their community, and support their family in the process. Many of these would-be farmers are immigrants and refugees hailing from rural areas of Sudan, Burundi, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico, Syria, India, China, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Somalia and beyond.

Fortunately, Iowa nonprofits have found clever ways to connect these neighbors with a patch of topsoil, a few tools and a hungry public. Incubator farms from Davenport to West Des Moines go beyond the community garden model to provide free or low-cost leases on small plots of land, as well as access to the resources needed to cultivate it, and opportunities to sell their yield at local markets. 

The leased land may be owned by the nonprofit, the local government or residents with yard space to spare. In most cases, farmers are turning unused patches of dirt into verdant sources of veggies, fruits and flowers.

Tapestry Farms

Davenport nonprofit and urban farm system Tapestry Farms was founded in 2017 by Ann McGlynn, director of communication at St. Paul Lutheran Church, who grew up on a farm in Clinton County. McGlynn and fellow volunteers partnered with refugee families to cultivate gardens across a dozen locations in the Quad Cities.

The resulting produce is delivered to a network of local food pantries and subscribers of their Summer CSA. It’s also sold at the QC Farmers’ Market in Rock Island (Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon) and the Bettendorf Farmers’ Market (Monday and Thursday, 2:30-5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon).

You can sign up to receive a monthly flower bouquet from Tapestry Farms, or a baklava subscription, which buys you 48 servings of the Mediterranean pastry, “handmade in small batches by refugee neighbors using a traditional Arabic recipe.” Other Tapestry clients roast coffee and work on sewing projects.

Founder and executive director Ann Glynn won the World Food Prize Foundation’s Robert D. Ray Iowa SHARES Humanitarian Award in July 2025. In her acceptance letter, Glynn critiqued current state and federal policies towards refugees. “The resettlement program inspired by Gov. Ray, which has brought more than 3 million refugees to safety in the U.S., is indefinitely paused. Government-funded food programs — including SNAP and the incredible Local Food Purchasing Agreement that fed people with locally grown and nutrient-dense foods — are being slashed.” 

She encouraged Iowans to reach out to their elected officials, befriend their immigrant and refugee neighbors, and plant a garden. “Give the produce to someone facing nutrition insecurity,” Glynn said. “We are absolutely surrounded by food-growing potential.”

Another way Tapestry taps into that potential is GIFT Gardens (Growing IlIowa Food Together). Through the program, local gardeners pledge a portion of their summer harvests to pantries and hunger relief agencies. They ended their first season in fall 2025 with more than 80 volunteers donating 64,063 pounds of fresh produce.

Global Greens

Like Tapestry Farms, Global Greens’ first clients hailed from the small East African country of Burundi, where more than 85 percent of people are farmers — and access to fertile land is increasingly limited due to population growth and the effects of climate change.

The program was launched in spring 2011 by refugees and staff with Lutheran Services in Iowa. Partnering with the City of Des Moines, private landowners and volunteers, LSI’s Global Greens connects former refugee families with small plots near their homes, and maintains an 8.5 acre incubator farm in West Des Moines. Staff and volunteers provide training and assistance, whether clients are beginner farmers or simply new to farming in Iowa.   

As their gardens expand, growers can upgrade to larger plots. More than 20 families are currently Global Greens clients, and many make their living through the leased land. 

The growers’ yields are sold at the Global Greens International Market (Saturdays, May-October, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at 1907 Carpenter Ave, Des Moines), which accepts SNAP/EBT. The program’s CSA has 263 shareholders as of early 2026.

“We grow vegetables that are common in Iowa and unique to our farmers’ home countries, offering the opportunity to eat global while staying local,” LSI Bilingual Community Associate said of Global Greens’ CSA, which boasts large portions of “chemical free produce” along with storage tips, recipes and treat samples, such as chocolate zucchini muffins. 

The Global Food Project

The Johnson County Historic Poor Farm in west Iowa City plays host to three incubator programs for the agriculturally inclined. One is the county’s Land Access Program, which leases plots to six small growers at a time; that program was recently devastated by USDA funding cuts under the Trump administration.

The remaining two programs are Grow: Johnson County, an initiative of Iowa Valley RC&D using six acres of the Poor Farm for farmer training and growing fresh produce to supply food pantries, school lunches and senior centers; and the Global Food Project, which “connects newly arrived and established residents through gardening” across 100 plots. 

The Global Food Project also has low-cost leases with 12 established growers. Lessees can utilize a large shelter, greenhouse, tractor, cooler and wash area onsite. Members of the public can sponsor plots for $150 each.

Founded in 2016, the org was absorbed by the nonprofit IC Compassion in 2020. 

The project’s clients supply an international farmers market held at the Historic Poor Farm (4811 Melrose Ave, Iowa City) on Saturdays, 3-5:30 p.m., which accepts SNAP/EBT and WIC.

This month and next, Global Food Project is also hosting a special series of markets in collaboration with Great Plains Action Society, an Indigenous-led nonprofit focused on first foods. GPAS is in the process of cultivating its own urban farm at their Resilience Hub near downtown Iowa City. GPAS will join the Global Food Project’s market on Saturdays through Sept. 26, while Global Food Project will table at the GPAS Hub (810 Maiden Ln) on four upcoming Thursdays: Aug. 6 & 20 and Sept. 3 & 17, 5-7 p.m. 

Equitable Land Access Farm Business Incubator

Feed Iowa First is currently accepting applications for the 2027 edition of their farm business incubator program. If accepted, applicants get access to a third of an acre on FIF’s well-supplied rural Marion farm for a mere $150 annual fee, with opportunities to expand to a full acre over the program’s three to five years. The goal: turn beginner farmers into established small business owners capable of running their own operation. 

The program is part of Feed Iowa First’s 15-year mission to address food insecurity in Linn County and distribute free, fresh produce. (Their Veggie Van comes in handy for the latter.) The nonprofit partners with Cedar Hills Community Church in Cedar Rapids to make 35 garden plots — and volunteers to help tend them — available to interested local gardeners. Many immigrant families choose to get their hands dirty.

One participant in this Community Agriculture program, Bertin Nduwayezu, grew sweet corn, beans and spinach while helping translate for Kirundi and Swahili speakers. In March, he was selected for the Farm Business Incubator program. Nduwayezu has added eggplant, bell peppers, onions and greens to his repertoire, and calls his new operation We the Farm Family.

Meanwhile, Black Earth Gardens owner Mari Hunt Wassink is looking for a permanent plot after incubating on a half acre of the FIF farm since 2021. She describes Black Earth Gardens as a “regenerative farm growing produce to increase justice in our community.” A Coe College grad, Wassink sells shares in a CSA that includes okra, collard greens, mustard greens, oats, hot peppers, winter rye and more, accepting SNAP/EBT and the state’s Market Nutrition Program vouchers. She also operates a mobile market to meet senior citizens where they are. Wassink and her vision for Black Earth Gardens won NewBoCo’s EntreFest pitch competition and its $7,500 grand prize in 2025.

She and other Equitable Land Access Farm Business Incubator program participants will be celebrated at Global Graze, a Feed Iowa First fundraiser on Sept. 17 at the Olympic South Side Theater. Local chefs will use the produce grown in Marion to make dishes inspired by international street food. Sponsors include the Map Room, Saatvik Swaad, the Hip-Stir, Big Grove, Black Sheep Social Club and Rhubarb Botanicals.   

Related article:

International produce you might find at the farmers market

This article was originally published in Little Village’s August 2026 issue.