Refugees set to grow skills with business

Jessica Benton
GEELONG’S newly arrived refugees will be put to work as farmers under a new program.
Multicultural services provider Diversitat plans to establish a farming business for the city’s Karen, Sudanese and Liberian refugees.
The business will grow vegetables while helping develop participants’ gardening, language and small-business skills.
The enterprise will supply Diversitat’s Wholefoods organic shop and café with produce for sale.
Project manager Barry Sproull said participants would use existing skills from their homelands.
“Much of the refugees’ background is in horticulture, so we’re hoping to build on that and get them into the workforce,” Mr Sproull said.
“The program will teach them skills, give them training in the basics of horticulture and help them to market the produce at Wholefoods.”
Mr Sproull said the program would use a site at a North Geelong facility for the market garden.
A government grant of $186,000 has provided seed funding for the project.