Spotlighting Women In AG

Female Growers and Innovators Are Featured At 2019 EcoFarm Conference

 By Amy Wu

Even in the 21st century, the image of the modern-day farmer often centers on overalls, pitchforks, and the image of the “farmer” as a man steering the tractor. While the image remains reality to an extent, agriculture is fast extending into a new generation of women growers and innovators, who are carving a path in agtech, science, and research while others are running their own enterprise.

As a journalist, who specializes in telling stories about women leaders in farming, I am delighted that this year’s EcoFarm features a wide range of women-focused events, and many more feature female panelists and keynote speakers. There is also a plethora of amazing women spotlighted on the "Equity, Food Justice, Sovereignty" track. 

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The “Women in Food & Ag Mixer” that traditionally bookends the conference on Friday also returns. And one of this year’s keynote speaker on the final conference day is social expert Nikki Silvestri founder and CEO of Soil and Shadow, which works to create systems change towards economic development and ecosystem restoration. Silvestri’s impressive background also includes being co-founder of Live Real and former executive director of People's Grocery and Green for All that focus on food justice.

In the past year, discussion over food and farming has also morphed into the intersection of environment, agriculture and climate change. Case in point regenerative agriculture, loosely defined as using a variety of farming techniques and land practices to improve soil health and improve water cycles.

To be sure, for a second year in a row there is an entire day devoted to “Women in Regenerative Agriculture Field Day” at Paicines Ranch in San Benito County, where attendees will have a chance to connect with female farmers, ranchers, scientists, physicians and advocates, bookended with a wine tasting.

The uptick in women panelists and speakers can only be positive since it directly touches the critical area of land equity; how many farms are owned and operated by underserved communities whether that be women or people of color? A January 23 workshop is devoted to discussion surrounding the importance and ways to increase diversity on farms and in the food system and “address root causes of inequity, and explore strategies for moving forward in healthy relationships with one another and the land,” according to the program description.

The opportunities and potential surrounding ownership are immense for women, especially as more farms struggle to stay afloat. Many farms across the country are being squeezed by severe labor shortage, limited water and land supply, skyrocketing costs of doing business, the ongoing trade wars, and the reality that the next generation might not be interested in farming. The upshot is a growing number of women are managing farms in the capacity of owner or operator; I recently had the pleasure of spending a morning with Jacky Vasquez one of the few if not only female farm operators in Monterey County. On any given day you’ll find Jacky in the vast landscape of berries on the farm where she runs, walking through the fields and reviewing the berry quality, on a tractor, or directing field crews. She is proud to be boots on the ground. She has a passion for agriculture that transcends gender and demographics.  

“I like the mix of it. Yesterday I was in heels and speaking in a conference and today I am about to walk the fields and check strawberries for their qualities. It’s from eating gourmet catered meals to tacos from a truck,” Jacky shared. My personal hope is that down the road I will find more women like Jacky and female farm operators will no longer be an anomaly.

This appears possible as a silver lining emerges with the current landscape; an estimated 1 million women are now farm operators and over a half-million own and lease land to farmers, and a third of farmland in the U.S. is farmed or co-farmed by women, and women own 87 million acres.

Finally, last but not least there is a powerhouse panel of women, Malaika Bishop co-director of Sierra Harvest, Denisa Livingston of Diné Community Advocacy Alliance and Karen Washington co-founder of Black Urban Growers (BUGS), who will take a deep dive in “Engaging & Empowering our Communities to Transform the Food System.”

Having documented and profiled some amazing women leaders in farming, I am excited to participate in the discussion and dialogue at EcoFarm 2019. My hope is that in years to come women will no longer be spotlighted, but will simply be a part of the landscape of discussion of agriculture.

To learn more and register for EcoFarm Conference 2019 visit www.eco-farm.org/conference

Amy Wu is the founder and chief content director of “From Farms to Incubators,” a resident company inside the WG Center for Innovation and Technology. She previously reported on ag for The Salinas Californian. She considers herself bicoastal and splits her time between New York and California.

Resilience Is Fertile - 39th annual EcoFarm Conference Coming Up In January

The Ecological Farming Association (EcoFarm) will present the 39th Annual EcoFarm Conference, January 23 - 26, 2019 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California.

Building upon its farmer-to-farmer education model, EcoFarm Conference is a prime networking and educational hub - the convergence of all sectors invested in growing a healthy food system and world.

“As the oldest and largest organic farming conference in the West, EcoFarm Conference is an essential organism in the body of agriculture that feeds the heart and soul of many farmers - an important tool for relationship building, coming up with strategies, gaining new skills, and unifying our goals.” - Farmer, Sonoma, CA

EcoFarm - supported in part by Patagonia and Earl’s Organic Produce, will be 3-4 days of 70+ workshops and events where conference-goers learn from leading experts on topics addressing both technical and big picture issues facing the organic industry and agriculture at large.

A powerhouse panel of women leaders Malaika Bishop, Denisa Livingston, and Karen Washington will launch EcoFarm’s opening keynote session about how we can empower each other to heal and transform our food and farming system - perhaps beyond what we could even imagine.

Other noteworthy speakers include soil scientist Dr. Kris Nichols who is amongst a vanguard of scientists who have more recently revealed the myriad biological life forms underfoot. She will take the stage together with Dr. John Reganold, Regents Professor of Soil Science and Agroecology from Washington State University about What 40 Years of Science tell us about Organic Agriculture.

The Successful Organic Farmers keynote is an annual tradition when attendees can learn from three leading farms whose founders will share their stories and what they’ve learned along the way.

The closing keynote will be presented by Nikki Silvestri, CEO of Soil and Shadow, who will explore the complexities that exist in different approaches to farming, with the goal of finding common ground.

Pre-Conference intensives will be offered on Tuesday, January 22 and Wednesday, January 23 including Women in Regenerative Agriculture Field Day at Paicines Ranch, a PSA-Approved Food Safety Workshop for Produce Growers in both English and Spanish, and Advancing Equity in Ecological Farming.

An all-day Bus Tour, Organic Farming in the Pajaro Valley will take attendees to Dirty Girl Produce, Blossom’s Biodynamic Farm, Monkey Flower Ranch, and High Ground Organics with an organic lunch prepared by acclaimed chef Jim Denevan of Outstanding in the Field.

 Attracting over 1,700 participants, EcoFarm Conference offers a diverse schedule including an exhibitor marketplace, artisanal tastings, seed swaps, live entertainment, an annual awards banquet, and opportunities for farmers and ranchers to discuss their challenges one-on-one with industry experts.

Attendees can choose single or multi-day passes including locally-sourced meals and on-site lodging at the Asilomar Conference Grounds. 

The non-profit organization is fundraising to provide scholarships for new and beginning farmers who seek to attend EcoFarm at a reduced cost.  

“EcoFarm was everything I hoped it would be! Farmers, distributors and retailers, all coming together to share their knowledge and passion for the organic farming movement and the industry it’s created.  Many of the seminars I sat in on were, of course, educational, but also inspiring and encouraging!” - Quality Control Specialist, San Francisco, CA

To learn more about EcoFarm Conference and to register,

Visit www.eco-farm.org/conference 

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 The Ecological Farming Association nurtures healthy and just farms, food systems, communities and environment by bringing people together for education, alliance building, and celebration. Over the past 38 years, EcoFarm and its education programs have reached more than 83,000 participants