Cooperative model of a group of Vietnamese Americans

On its website, the VEGGI Farmers Cooperative in the New Orleans East area of ​​New Orleans, Louisiana (USA) is celebrating 10 years of development. Founded after the 2010 oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico crippled the seafood industry, VEGGI brought Vietnamese-American shrimp farmers to work by using farming secrets they brought with them from Vietnam. Since then, VEGGI has been considered a support for many Vietnamese-Americans in the New Orleans East area while making a living, according to the news site NOLA.com.

VEGGI Farmers' Cooperative produces more than 4.5 tons of agricultural products/year

In its first decade, VEGGI now produces more than 4.5 tons of produce each year. The produce, mostly Louisiana and Vietnamese vegetables, is sold at farmers markets or on the menus of high-end restaurants in New Orleans. To achieve this output, the members work hard on a 0.6-hectare plot of land, located between a parking lot and a row of suburban houses. "It's hard work, but I like it," said Thanh Nguyen, 77, as she worked on the farm while her husband, Tham Nguyen, 81, worked with a tiller.

Behind VEGGI's farm is an orchard, including lemons, peaches, apples... In the middle is a growing chicken farm and the rest of the farm is mainly vegetable beds. VEGGI uses mainly organic methods, limits the use of pesticides and uses homemade and natural methods to prevent insects, also according to NOLA.com.

VEGGI is considered to be doing well, with supply not meeting demand. "We have no problem selling products. But what we sell is based on the ability of our members," said VEGGI CEO Maddiy Edwards.

VEGGI originally had 15 members, but now has only five, including Nguyen Thanh and Nguyen Tham (from Phu Quoc, immigrated to New Orleans in 1976), Nguyen Phuc (from Nghe An , immigrated to New Orleans in 1978), and Nguyen Xuan and Ngo Canh (from Ba Ria-Vung Tau, settled in New Orleans in 2016), according to VEGGI's website.

VEGGI is a cooperative owned by its members, so they share the land in the plot and maintain their own farming activities on the land they own. "We jointly market and sell each grower's products under the VEGGI Farm Coop brand," VEGGI said. VEGGI's goal is not to focus on profit but to bring more and more support to its members, as long as they feel happy, even if the yield decreases.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/mo-hinh-hop-tac-xa-cua-mot-nhom-nguoi-my-goc-viet-185230611002103236.htm