2025-06-18

Meet Hamidou!

A farmer spotlight

When Hamidou immigrated to Montreal in 2008, he faced challenges familiar to many newcomers. Although he was a certified accountant in Niger, his credentials weren’t recognized in Quebec. At the same time, he found himself searching for familiar foods — vegetables he had grown up eating — but they were hard to find or only available imported, frozen, or dried. These experiences inspired a new direction. He enrolled in the Institut de technologie agroalimentaire de Saint-Hyacinthe, to deepen his knowledge of local farming so that he could grow the foods he missed.

In 2017, he launched Hamidou Horticulture, a farm and training business that now cultivates over 100 varieties of African crops. His work fills a meaningful gap for many immigrant communities across Montreal, offering a taste of home, and sparking powerful moments of joy and reconnection through long-missed cultural foods.

A Growing Partnership with The Depot

Hamidou’s relationship with The Depot began two years ago, shortly after he started growing at the Loyola garden. He had heard about The Depot through the community and, when a role opened up for a Collective Gardens Facilitator, he saw it as an opportunity to connect more deeply with NDG and its residents.

The collaboration quickly became reciprocal: the collective gardens team benefitted from Hamidou’s agricultural expertise, while he received real-time feedback from staff and participants through the harvest samples he shared. Soon, the gardens began incorporating more African crops, and the Marché Dépôt started offering a wider selection of his culturally rooted produce. This year, The Depot has committed to purchasing from Hamidou each week, offering him greater financial stability and planning power: “It allows me to have guaranteed maximum quantities for certain vegetables,” he explains. “It gives me predictability, and also lets me seek out new clients for the rest of my harvest.”

Beyond the practical benefits of the partnership — financial stability, predictable sales, and valuable community feedback — what keeps Hamidou rooted at The Depot is something deeper: connection. Farming can be an isolating profession, but his role here has offered a sense of belonging. “It breaks isolation,” he says. “A farmer is often very alone on their farm… here, I’m part of a team.”

As we move into a new summer season, we’re proud to nurture partnerships like this one, where food, culture, and community all take root and flourish together.