Moses Kashem
Miami Native Italian-Bengali Organic Farmer
Founder of the Urban Vegetable Project and St. Simon’s Farm
Moses Kashem is a Millenial. A Miami native, he is the son of a Muslim Bengali father and a Catholic Italian mother who came to the United States as immigrants. He was planning to become a doctor but instead was inspired to devote his career to farming and obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Florida International University.
When still a student, he started attending St. Simon’s Episcopal Church in South Miami as a secular to get closer to a girl he liked, Erin. He eventually married her at that church with the entire congregation at their wedding. Moses speaks some Italian and returns to Italy as frequently as he can to visit the Italian side of his family and deepen his insights into farming in Italy.
One day, Moses had a crazy idea.
He wanted to turn the four unused acres surrounding the church into an urban organic farm incorporating culturally diversified methods into his agricultural practices. His vision was that it could provide income for the church, for him, and, eventually, fresh produce at local Miami grocery stores.
And it worked!
As demand from his CSA clients, local restaurants and Whole Foods Markets started increasing, Moses refurbished a 2,400-square-foot greenhouse at the Marien Center in North Miami so he could grow vegetables throughout South Florida’s scorching summer. He has also expanded to Indiantown, FL, where he farms 80 acres of certified organic produce.
When he is not in the fields or delivering fresh produce to his loyal CSA clients, you can find Moses working on cars, welding, and boxing.
Find out more about the Urban Vegetable Project and St. Simon Farm here.