Ternawtheri Family Farm

This week’s farm inspection takes us to Ternawtheri Family Farm in Chapel Hill.

A huge part of these inspections is also getting to know our farmers more and hear their backstories, and holy moly, the Wei family’s story is one worth reading.

Zar Ree and Lion Wei grew up in a small village along the Ternawtheri river in Burma. Zar Ree is a 5th generation farmer. Together, they raised fruit, vegetables, and animals on their land and would fill their canoes and paddle to the larger village each day to sell.

In 1997, that all changed when civil war found its way to their region of Burma. The conflict forced over 100k Karen people (the ethnic group they belong to) to flee the country. Zar Ree, Lion, and their two oldest daughters were forced to leave their family land and spent two months navigating through thick jungle, hiding in mountain caves, and evading execution squads. They finally arrived in bordering Thailand with only the items they had on their backs.

Unfortunately, the mass migration of the Karen people into these bordering regions was a contentious subject in Thailand and made for a very complex life. The international humanitarian aid they received only gave them 8 bamboo poles and a plastic tarp for their housing. The Wei family spent the next 9 years living in a refugee camp in Thailand as stateless and undocumented people. They were unable to obtain ID’s, work legally, or apply for citizenship in the county. Even their three children who were born in the camp were unable to receive Thai citizenship.

Lion worked odd jobs for money. He would leave before dawn and come back after dusk so that he could escape the camp without being spotted and turned into authorities (there was a state sponsored system that paid people who turned in refugees). They worked with an NGO who provided a small plot of land near the camp to teach other refugees how to grow their own food, as well as raise their own so they could survive.

After 9 years of living as stateless refugees, they were finally granted asylum in the US in 2006.

The Wei family applied to the US through a refugee resettlement program, which was a long and arduous process, but were finally accepted and relocated to South Carolina in the fall of 2006. Due to a lack of job stability, they moved to Chapel Hill 7 months later, where Lion was able to get permanent work working as a janitor at UNC.

In 2009, they heard about an organization called Transplanting Traditions Community Farm that was helping Karen refugees adjust and deal with food insecurity within their community. They started talking and quickly became members of the organization.

Over the years, Transplanting Traditions expanded their role in the Karen community and began offering other programming, including adapting the farming skills of their members to the very different climate of North Carolina. They learned how to adjust their practices to grow some of their staple asian crops, as well as how to grow classic southern American crops that have been bred for our climate and soil conditions.

In 2011, Zar Ree and Lion started Ternawtheri Family Farm. They had a mere 2 CSA members. Over the last 15 years, with the help of Transplanting Traditions, they have grown to over 50 CSA subscribers and sell at 4 farmers markets throughout the triangle. They did so while raising 6 children. One of those children, Ree Ree, is who you will likely see every week at the Cary Farmers Market. She is now also the Executive Director of Transplanting Traditions.

The Wei family story is what America was built on. People who left a distant land due to terrible circumstances, worked incredibly hard once they arrived, contributed to improving their community, all to give their family a better life. That has been the American tale since our founding…in reality, even before that. Their harrowing story is a clear reminder that although many immigrant stories can start from a place of desperation and mourning, when given the opportunity, they become stories of resilience, community, and success for all involved…especially those lucky enough to eat their food.