Hmong are a group of people originally from Laos, a neighbor to Vietnam, who immigrated to the United States as a result of persecution in their home country after their support of the United States during the Vietnam War. Originally immigrating to areas in the Midwest, Hmong have recently relocated to Florida where they find themselves unfamiliar with new climate and soil conditions. In their home country, most Hmong have subsistence family gardens where rice, leafy vegetables andAsian vegetables, such as bitter melon, are grown. Now in Florida, Hmong growers have organized to form the Florida Hmong Community, Inc. to maintain cultural ties and assist each other in transition to their new surroundings. The Florida Hmong Community contacted a legislator for assistance in growing their traditional crops in their new location. Extension administrators were contacted on their behalf, and enlisted local agents to provide education to help these new Florida residents adapt their native farming practices to their new climate and soil.
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