New Roots in America

refugees sell produce grown by fellow refugees at a farmers' market in San Diego

Photo: Peter Biro/IRC

The International Rescue Committee’s New Roots program helps recently resettled refugees to become self-sufficient and contribute to their new home in the United States through community gardening, nutrition education and small-business farming. With training, tools and land provided by the IRC, refugees are sharing their agricultural skills and producing affordable, locally grown vegetables and fruit for their families and their neighbors. Spanning 22 U.S. cities, New Roots is an essential part of the IRC’s broader efforts in over 40 countries to help communities build a more secure and sustainable future.

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How We Help

The IRC is helping refugees set down new roots in the U.S. by:

Supporting home and community gardens
Providing greater access to fresh and healthy foods
Reconnecting them with familiar agricultural traditions
Giving them a chance to share the tastes of home with their new neighbors
Creating opportunities to earn income by selling their produce
Supporting small farms and other refugee-owned businesses
Developing job opportunities in agriculture and other industries

THE IRC & NEW ROOTS IN THE MEDIA

Building Healthy Communities

FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SPOTLIGHTS "PHENOMENAL" IRC-SUPPORTED URBAN FARM: As part of the IRC's New Roots program in several U.S. cities, refugees are planting fresh produce — which is hard to find in many neighborhoods — to feed their families and sell in farmers' markets. They have found a fan in First Lady Michelle Obama, who calls the IRC-supported urban farm she visited in San Diego in 2010 a "phenomenal" model for building healthy communities.