Cal Ag Roots Podcast

"THE WELL Landback Conversation with Brittani Orona." This in-depth conversation with Dr. Brittani Orona (Hupa, Hoopa Valley Tribe), Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies at San Diego State University digs into the concept and practice of the Landback movement in California, including the deep history of native resistance in the state (Photo Credit: Klamath River. Photo Courtesy Brittani Orona). The Well Landback Conversations include interviews with Dr. Brittani Orona (San Diego State University), Nicole Celaya (FoodLink for Tulare County Inc.), and Dr. Keolu Fox (UC San Diego). Its episodes were written and produced by Dr. Caroline Collins (Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Irvine, Affiliated Researcher at UC San Diego, and Cal Ag Roots Producer at the California Institute for Rural Studies) and edited by Li Schmidt (Associate Associate Storyteller and Researcher at the California Institute for Rural Studies). This project was made possible with support from the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Music Credits for Episode 1: "Strange Persons" by Kicksta and "Petit Gennevilliers" by MagnusMoone. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms. Pixabay terms terms of service can be found here: https://pixabay.com/service/terms/. #thewell #landback #waterback #california #calagroots #rural #americanwest #foodjustice #history

SEEDS OF CHANGE EPISODE 3 “A Contemporary Harvest: Oakland's Acta Non Verba Youth Urban Farm Project." Structural systems from zoning laws to the systemic loss of green space have disconnected many Black urban residents of California from agricultural practices. This episode examines how a community garden project in Oakland isn't just re-connecting local youth to the natural world and making urban gardens grow. Discover how it's also re-planting seeds of economic empowerment in the process. (Photo Credit: Kelly Carlisle of Acta Non Verba urban farm in Oakland. Courtesy Kelly Carlisle.) Seeds of Change Episode 3 features interviews from Dr. Analena Hope Hassberg (incoming Cal State LA Assoc. Prof.) and Kelly D. Carlisle (Founder and Executive Director of Acta Non Verba). It was written and produced by Dr. Caroline Collins (Postdoctoral Fellow at UC San Diego and Cal Ag Roots Producer at the California Institute for Rural Studies) and edited by Li Schmidt (Associate Associate Storyteller and Researcher at the California Institute for Rural Studies). This project was made possible with support from the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Music Credits for Episode 3: "Strange Persons" and “Dirty Groove” by Kicksta; "Petit Gennevilliers (Celesta)” by MagnusMoone; "Inward" by HansTroost; “Return,” and “Slow Down” Instrumental produced by Chuki; and “Bird” by songwriter Yuki Asemota (Prod. by Chuki). Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms. Chuki's YouTube page can be found here: (http://www.youtube.com/user/CHUKImusic). BeatStars Distribution information can be found here: https://www.beatstars.com/distribution. Bandcamp's terms of use can be found here: https://bandcamp.com/terms_of_use. #seedsofchange #blackhistory #california #calagroots #blacklivesmatter #rural #americanwest #blackculture #black #foodjustice #blackfood #blm #history #blackpeople #blackisbeautiful #blackpride #africanamerican #actanonverba

SEEDS OF CHANGE EPISODE 2 “To Free Ourselves We Must Feed Ourselves: The Hidden Legacy of the Black Panther Free Breakfast Program in California." In January 1969 a group of young visionaries at the forefront of the Black Power movement launched an innovative Free Breakfast Program for children in Oakland. In doing so, they didn't just help shape public imagination about the possibilities of food aid. Discover how they also helped change the political will of the state and nation. (Photo Credit: Charles Bursey serving children at Panther breakfast program, St. Augustine's Episcopal Church, No. 135. Photo by Pirkle Jones. Courtesy of University of California, Santa Cruz. McHenry Library, Special Collections). Seeds of Change Episode 2 features interviews from Dr. Analena Hope Hassberg (incoming Cal State LA Assoc. Prof.) and Billy X Jennings (Public Historian of the Black Panther Party). It was written and produced by Dr. Caroline Collins (Postdoctoral Fellow at UC San Diego and Cal Ag Roots Producer at the California Institute for Rural Studies) and edited by Li Schmidt (Associate Associate Storyteller and Researcher at the California Institute for Rural Studies). This project was made possible with support from the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. The episode's title “To Free Ourselves We Must Feed Ourselves” is inspired by the words of activist farmer and author Leah Penniman. Learn more about Penniman's work here: https://www.soulfirefarm.org/portfolio-items/to-free-ourselves-we-must-feed-ourselves/. Music Credits for Episode 2: "Strange Persons" by Kicksta; "Petit Gennevilliers (Celesta)” by MagnusMoone; "Summer Breeze” and "Inward" by HansTroost; Vocals by harmony group Reverb; “Afronauts” by Crowander; and “Can” by CSC Funk Band. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms. Pixabay terms of service can be found here: https://pixabay.com/service/terms/. Free Music Archive information can be found here: https://freemusicarchive.org/royalty-free-music. Library of Congress disclaimers can be found here: https://www.loc.gov/legal/. #seedsofchange #blackhistory #california #calagroots #blacklivesmatter #rural #americanwest #blackculture #black #foodjustice #blackfood #blm #history #blackpeople #blackisbeautiful #blackpride #africanamerican

SEEDS OF CHANGE EPISODE 1 "United We Stand: Race, Religion, and the Politics of Food Justice in Black Los Angeles's Victory Markets." In WWII era Los Angeles a young Black preacher, Rev. Clayton D. Russell, and Black businesswoman, Charlotta Bass, launched the Los Angeles Negro Victory Commitee. In doing so, they not only helped plant seeds of today's food justice movements. They also helped radically alter the political landscape of the city with implications that continue to this day. (Photo Credit: Charlotta Bass [third from right] and Rev. Clayton D. Russell [second from right] with other African American leaders in Los Angeles, 1949. Courtesy of the Southern California Library [Los Angeles, California]). Seeds of Change Episode 1 features interviews from Dr. Analena Hope Hassberg (Cal Poly Pomona) and Dr. Lorn Foster (Pomona College). It was written and produced by Dr. Caroline Collins (Postdoctoral Fellow at UC San Diego and Cal Ag Roots Producer at the California Institute for Rural Studies) and edited by Li Schmidt (Associate Associate Storyteller and Researcher at the California Institute for Rural Studies). This project was made possible with support from the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Archival Audio of Rev. Clayton D. Russell Courtesy of Cal State Long Beach Special Collections and oral historian Sherna Berger Gluck. Music Credits for Episode 1: "Strange Persons" by Kicksta; "Petit Gennevilliers (Celesta") by MagnusMoone; "Summer Breeze" and "Inward" by HansTroost, "Tiger Rag" by Friars Society Orchestra; "All American News 10" by William Alexander, E.M. Glucksman, and Claude Barnett; and "Symphony in black—a rhapsody of Negro life" by Duke Ellington. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms. Pixabay terms terms of service can be found here: https://pixabay.com/service/terms/. Library of Congress disclaimers can be found here: https://www.loc.gov/legal/. #seedsofchange #blackhistory #california #calagroots #blacklivesmatter #rural #americanwest #blackculture #black #foodjustice #blackfood #blm #history #blackpeople #blackisbeautiful #blackpride #africanamerican

The passage of the Farmer Equity Act, California Assembly Bill 1348, in October 2017 was ground-breaking. For the first time, California acknowledged the racist patterns of systematic discrimination that have been common practice in governmental agricultural institutions which have impacted farmers of color in accessing the most basic thing that farmers need: land. This pattern has deep roots in California farming history through laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Alien Land Laws, and Executive Order 9066. Recognizing that this history was continuing to play out well into the 21st century, a group of organizers called the California Farmer Justice Collaborative were able to win a victory for farmers of color by passing the Farmer Equity Act. However, four years later, organizers discuss how they see this legislation as just a first step in addressing centuries of land ownership discrimination in California. This podcast was made possible with the support of the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Photo credit: California Farmer Justice Collaborative. This story was co-produced by Héktor Luis Calderón-Victoria and Li Schmidt. Podcast editors and collaborators include Caroline Collins and Ildi Carlisle-Cummins. We give special thanks to those interviewed in the episode: Florentino Collazo, Jibril Kyser, Kellee Matsushita-Tseng, Janaki Anagha, and Mai Nguyen. Audio edits by Li Schmidt. Episode music is by Las Cafeteras and Cal Ag Roots theme music is by Nangdo. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms. #calagroots #california #history #communitystories #foodjustice #farmerjustice #farmersofcolor #land

Join us for this mini-episode conversation between the current Cal Ag Roots Podcast Producer, Dr. Caroline Collins, and former Cal Ag Roots Producer, Ildi Carlisle-Cummins, who is currently the Executive Director of the California Institute of Rural Studies (the parent organization for Cal Ag Roots). Caroline and Ildi reflect on the challenges of producing community-based stories during a pandemic and give a preview of the next Cal Ag Roots episodes that will be aired in the beginning of 2022. This podcast was made possible with the support of the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Photo credit (Diana Morales: www.arteesmedicina.com). Audio edits by Li Schmidt and Cal Ag Roots theme music by Nangdo. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms. #calagroots #california #history #communitystories #foodjustice #farmerjustice #farmersofcolor #blackhistory #blacklivesmatter #americanwest #blackgirlmagic #blackculture #black #blm #blackpeople #blackisbeautiful #blackpride #africanamerican

We Are Not Strangers Here Ep. 6: “Still Here Black Farmers & Agricultural Stewardship in the Modern Age” Relationships to the land can be seen throughout African American history and culture. However, Black Californians haven't just long been connected to the natural world in the past. In our sixth and final episode of this series, discover how Black people's connection to the natural world continues to this day in urban and rural spaces across the state. (Photo: Will Scott Jr. at work on his farm, 2015. Credit: Alice Daniel/KQED). This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Music Credit for Episode 6: "Strange Persons" by Kicksta; "Summer Breeze" and "Inward" by HansTroost; Woke Up this Morning-Jazz Organ (ID 1293) by Lobo Loco. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms

Sneak Preview: Episode 6, our final episode of the Cal Ag Roots six-part We Are Not Strangers Here series, “Still Here: Black Farmers & Agricultural Stewardship in the Modern Age” premieres March 9, 2021. Relationships to the land can be seen throughout African American history and culture. However, Black Californians haven't just long been connected to the natural world in the past. Discover how their connection continues to this day in urban and rural spaces across the state. (Photo: Will Scott Jr. at work on his farm, 2015. Credit: Alice Daniel/KQED). This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Music Credit: "Strange Persons" by Kicksta. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms.

In 1908, African American pioneers established the town of Allensworth forty miles north of Bakersfield as part of the broader Black Town Movement. Discover how these settlers not only built buildings, established businesses, and planted crops--they also inspired the imagination as they tested what was possible in rural California. (Photo Credit: Teachers at the Allensworth School, c. 1915 [090-2156]. Courtesy California State Parks). This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Music Credits for Episode 5: "Strange Persons" by Kicksta; "Summer Breeze" and "Inward" by HansTroost; Over the Water, Humans Gather by Dr. Turtle; "Just Gone" by King Olivers Creole Jazz Band; and The Fish Are Jumping by deangwolfe. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms.

Sneak Preview: Episode 5 of the Cal Ag Roots six-part We Are Not Strangers Here series, “ Back to the Land: Allensworth and the Black Utopian Dream" premieres March 9, 2021. In 1908 African American pioneers established the town of Allensworth forty miles north of Bakersfield. Part of the broader Black Town Movement, discover how these settlers not only built buildings, established businesses, and planted crops--they also inspired the imagination as they tested what was possible in rural California. (Photo Credit: Teachers at the Allensworth School, c. 1915 [090-2156]. Courtesy California State Parks). This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Music Credit: "Just Gone" by King Olivers Creole Jazz Band. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms.

WE ARE NOT STRANGERS HERE EPISODE 4 “Independent Settlements: Building Black Communities in Rural California." Starting as early as the 19th century, Black communities--large and small, loosely organized and formal took shape across rural California. Discover the undertold history of California’s Black rural settlements including how these communities represent the tension between the promises and the challenges of living in the Golden State. (Photo Credit: Goldie Beavers, playing on a rope swing by her home in Teviston, 1964. Courtesy: Ernest Lowe, photographer). This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Music Credits for Episode 4: "Strange Persons" by Kicksta; "Summer Breeze" and "Inward" by HansTroost; Over the Water, Humans Gather by Dr. Turtle; and The Fish Are Jumping by deangwolfe. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms

Sneak Preview: Episode 4 of the Cal Ag Roots six-part We Are Not Strangers Here series, “Independent Settlements: Building Black Communities in Rural California" premieres March 2, 2021. Starting as early as the 19th century, Black communities--large and small, loosely organized and formal took shape across rural California. Discover the undertold history of California’s Black rural settlements including how these communities represent the tension between the promises and the challenges of living in the Golden State. (Photo Credit: Goldie Beavers, playing on a rope swing by her home in Teviston, 1964. Courtesy: Ernest Lowe, photographer). This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Music Credit: “Over the Water Humans Gather” by Doctor Turtle. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms. #wearenotstrangershere #blackhistory #california #calagroots #blacklivesmatter #rural #americanwest #blackhistorymonth #blackgirlmagic #blackculture #black #blm #history #blackpeople #blackisbeautiful #blackpride #africanamerican

WE ARE NOT STRANGERS HERE EPISODE 3 “Cultivating Change: African American Homesteaders, Innovators, & Civic Leaders." Black people have long cultivated the land in rural California. And in doing so, they’ve contributed to what we grow and how we grow crops in the state. Discover how early African American farmers and ranchers didn't just grow crops and raise livestock throughout the Golden State. They also cultivated societal change that helped make California what it is today. (Photo Credit: Portrait of Lucy Hinds with infant, Ernest L. Hinds, circa 1886. Courtesy: Roberts Family Papers, African American Museum and Library at Oakland). This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Music Credits for Episode 3: "Strange Persons" by Kicksta; "Summer Breeze" and "Inward" by HansTroost; Over the Water, Humans Gather by Dr. Turtle; and The Fish Are Jumping by deangwolfe.

Sneak Preview: Episode 3 of the Cal Ag Roots six-part We Are Not Strangers Here series, “Cultivating Change: African American Homesteaders, Innovators, & Civic Leaders" premieres Feb. 23, 2021. Black people have long cultivated the land in rural California. And in doing so, they’ve contributed to what we grow and how we grow crops in the state. Discover how early African American farmers and ranchers didn't just grow crops and raise livestock throughout the Golden State. They also cultivated societal change that helped make California what it is today. (Photo Credit: Portrait of Lucy Hinds with infant, Ernest L. Hinds, circa 1886. Courtesy: Roberts Family Papers, African American Museum and Library at Oakland). This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Music Credit: "Le Vulcain" by HansTroost. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here: prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/pages/terms #wearenotstrangershere #blackhistory #california #calagroots #blacklivesmatter #rural #americanwest #blackhistorymonth #blackgirlmagic #blackculture #black #blm #history #blackpeople #blackisbeautiful #blackpride #africanamerican

Episode 2 of the Cal Ag Roots six-part We Are Not Strangers Here series is "Hidden Roots: Uncovering the Legacies of African American Homesteaders in California" premieres Feb. 16, 2021. One of the most impactful ways we come to know about places is through the stories we tell about them. Discover how Black people in rural California have been remembered--and forgotten--in the stories and landmarks that tell the beginnings of the Golden State. (Photo Credit: Farmhand and horse standing next to a shed, c. 1908. Courtesy: Roberts Family Papers, African American Museum and Library at Oakland). This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation.

Sneak Preview: Episode 2 of the Cal Ag Roots six-part We Are Not Strangers Here series, "Hidden Roots: Uncovering the Legacies of African American Homesteaders in California" premieres Feb. 16, 2021. One of the most impactful ways we come to know about places is through the stories we tell about them. Discover how Black people in rural California have been remembered--and forgotten--in the stories and landmarks that tell the beginnings of the Golden State. (Photo Credit: Farmhand and horse standing next to a shed, c. 1908. Courtesy: Roberts Family Papers, African American Museum and Library at Oakland). This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation.

WE ARE NOT STRANGERS HERE EPISODE 1 "Freedom Chasers: Early Black Settlers and the California Dream." Thousands of African Americans participated in the California Gold Rush. Some were still enslaved when they did like 49er Alvin Coffey. Join us for Episode 1 to learn more about Coffey's fascinating tale. (Photo Credit: Alvin Coffey, Tehama County, c. 1880s. Courtesy of the Society of California Pioneers). We Are Not Strangers Here is a collaboration between Susan Anderson of the California African American Museum, the California Historical Society, Exhibit Envoy and Amy Cohen, Dr. Caroline Collins from UC San Diego, and the Cal Ag Roots Project at the California Institute for Rural Studies. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. Music Credits for Episode 1: "Strange Persons" by Kicksta; "Petit Gennevilliers (Celesta") by MagnusMoone; and "Summer Breeze" and "Inward" by HansTroost. Tribe of Noise licensing information can be found here.

Sneak Preview: Episode 1 of the Cal Ag Roots six-part We Are Not Strangers Here series, "Freedom Chasers: Early Black Settlers and the California Dream." Thousands of African Americans participated in the California Gold Rush. Some were still enslaved when they did like 49er Alvin Coffey. Join us for Episode 1 to learn more about Coffey's fascinating tale. (Photo Credit: Alvin Coffey. Courtesy of the Society of California Pioneers. Music Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor Turtle). This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Visit calhum.org to learn more), and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation.

Sneak Preview: On Feb 9, 2021 we'll release Episode 1 of We Are Not Strangers Here, a six-part Cal Ag Roots podcast series shedding light on the history of African Americans in rural California. (Photo Credit: Nine young men and women sitting in a field, Tulare County, 1912. Courtesy of the African American Museum & Library at Oakland.)

California, the golden state, is known for many things, chief among them is its status as the breadbasket of the nation and the world. Yet, the ability to sustain agriculture and support the communities is limited by access to water. This podcast examines how access to groundwater is influenced by drought and climate change, but also, how the persistence of drought conditions can be tied to histories of human decision-making and structural racism within the Central Valley. This story features guest co-producers Dr. Clare Gupta and Cristina Murillo-Barrick; two social scientists on a team of hydrologists, engineers and economists at UC Davis. As part of a larger National Science Foundation research project, Clare and Cristina partnered with the Community Water Center to collect bilingual narratives of impacted residents who don’t have access to safe and affordable drinking water. They spent time talking with people who live and struggle with these issues every day to learn about experiences, strategies and triumphs related to water justice. They also spoke to leading researchers on California water issues. This podcast was made possible thanks to ongoing collaboration with the Community Water Center/El Centro Comunitario por el Agua and funding from the National Science Foundation’s Coupled Natural Human Systems grant. We would like to extend a special thanks to everyone who contributed. Community narratives feature several Central Valley residents and water justice advocates: Lucy Hernandez, Melynda Metheney, Vergie Nuñez, Cristobal Chavez, Tomas Garcia, Daniel Peñaloza and Susana de Anda. Researchers include Dr. Jonathan Herman, Mark Arax and Camille Pannu. Podcast editors and collaborators include Ryan Jensen and Ildi Carlisle-Cummings. Audio edits by Victoria Boston and podcast and Cal Ag Roots theme music by Nangdo. Photo Caption and Credit: Maria Elena Orozco from East Orosi examines a glass of her drinking water, picture taken by Community Water Center

Looking Back to Look Forward asks why in California-- which has been the home of farm labor movements-- aging farm workers are not guaranteed any help in their retirement. The story centers farmworker voices and provides a historical approach to understand why little progress on this important right has been made. We dig into the history of how farm workers were excluded from key protections granted other kinds of workers in the New Deal-era National Labor Relations Act. This show was co-produced by Jennifer Martinez, in collaboration with Cal Ag Roots. (Photo is of Lola Martinez, a farm worker in Bakersfield, CA)

Stories of California farming history often start at the Gold Rush. Sometimes, they reach back in time to include the Mexican or Spanish eras. But very rarely do we hear about the ways indigenous Californians were tending the landscape to produce food for thousands of years before contact with colonizers. The story of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and their stewardship of the land along California’s Central Coast is a crucial part of the history of how humans have interacted with this landscape. What they and other native people across the state have historically done here was NOT farming, they tell me. And yet their stewardship practices literally laid the groundwork for the existing farming industry. It turns out that this story not only stretches the standard timeline of California history back by thousands of years, but it asks us to expand our very definition of agriculture. Which is why it feels like a critically important place to dig in. Featuring A-dae Romero-Briones, Valentin Lopez, Eleanor Castro, Rick Flores and Nancy Vail, with music by Nangdo, Kai Engel and Ketsa.

Nina Ichikawa is shaping the conversation about the future of California farming in many different ways. She's the Interim Executive Director at the Berkeley Food Institute, a member of the Farmer Justice Collaborative, the great grand-daughter of influential Japanese American flower growers, as well as a writer about Asian-American food histories. And she’s one of the most insightful thinkers about current issues in California food and farming. Tune in to this Cal Ag Roots episode to find out why Nina wants us all to be telling many more stories about California.

Antonio Roman Alcalá has a lot of ideas to share about power-building in the food movement. He’s an organizer, and a thinker, a theorizer and a farmer. Antonio strikes me as someone who manages to have his hands in the soil AND his eyes on the horizon at the same time. In our conversation at his kitchen table in his tiny Berkeley apartment, I got the impression that he’s often dreaming of possibilities for a collectively-owned, radically diversified farming future, but that he’s also deeply rooted in and actively drawing from history. Which is why, of course, I was excited to talk with him for this podcast. This podcast is part of our series is called Digging Deep: Conversations with Food Movement Leaders about the History of Farming. Tune in to these episodes to learn how food movement leaders’ understanding of the past, and how what they learn from Cal Ag Roots stories, has shifted their thinking about their work. Antonio refers to a few Cal Ag Roots stories that you might want to listen to, if you haven't caught them yet. Those are Podcast 1: There's Nothing More Californian than Ketchup, Podcast 2: Can Land Belong to Those Who Work it? and Podcast 10: Política del Mole/ The Politics of Mole. Check those out wherever you get our podcast!

For centuries, people have been telling other people what to eat. The paleo diet fad might be new, but the idea that some people know what food is best, or healthiest, or cleanest and that other people need to be educated about that is definitely NOT new. It might be one of the oldest ideas we’ve explored on this show. And it has surprisingly little to do with knowledge about food itself and a whole lot more to do with ideas about whose culture is “good.” Or about “living right.” Or defending a social order. Dig just a little bit into the history of ideas about diet and you’ll quickly find a lot of ideas about race and about class and about power. But one group of cultural organizers in CA’s Central Valley, at the Pan Valley Institute, has radically shifted this conversation-- and by doing that they point the way towards a new model for food movement work that builds political and community strength from difference and diversity. Tune in to learn about Política del Mole/The Politics of Mole! This story was produced by the California Institute for Rural Studies, Ildi Carlisle-Cummins, director of the Cal Ag Roots Project, and Li Schmidt. Special thanks to everyone who’s voices you heard here: Myrna Martinez, Erica Kohl-Arenas, Melanie DuPuis, Mario Sifuentez, Gail Feenstra, Charlotte Biltekoff and Brenda Ordaz. The music for our podcast was by Dayanna Sevilla and by the Nangdo. Thanks also to our funders-- the 11th Hour Project and the Food and Farming Communications Fund.

This is a Thanksgiving podcast, featuring three tasty audio pieces that celebrate family food traditions and workers who have given their lives to fill our tables. Tune in to this 4th episode in our Borderlands of the San Joaquin Valley series to hear two student-produced audio pieces by Cindy Cervantes and Omar Gonzalez and a powerful performance by roots-blues musician and Central Valley native Lance Canales. (Photo Credit: Lillian Thaoxaochay)

Dr. Mario Sifuentez is an Associate Professor of History at UC Merced who's done a lot of thinking about the past and future of California's Central Valley. He's been involved with Cal Ag Roots since the very start of this project, both as an advisor and as an interviewee. (You can hear his voice on our third podcast, where he gives us real insight into the Bracero Program.) Mario has deep knowledge about the history of food production, and his current research digs up some interesting new stories about an activist group featured our Can Land Belong to Those Who Work It? podcast, which is why I wanted talk with him for this Digging Deep episode. This is the second episode in our new Cal Ag Roots podcast series--Digging Deep: Conversations with Food Movement Leaders about the History of Farming-- which will be released every other month. I’m talking with people who are working to shift farming right now, bringing California farming into the future. And we’re talking about how their understanding of the past, and how what they learn from Cal Ag Roots stories, has shifted their thinking about their work. Each of the conversations will draw on Cal Ag Roots stories, so if you haven't heard them all yet, take a listen on our Story Hub (or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher)! Particularly relevant to today’s podcast is the last one we released—#2, Can Land Belong to Those Who Work it. We’ll keep on producing that style of podcasts and releasing them here—there are so, so many more histories to unearth. The two different kinds of podcasts are going to be in constant conversation with each other, so we're hoping that you’ll tune into both and that each episode will be more meaningful that way.

Ours to Lose showcases another performance from our live story-telling event, Borderlands of the San Joaquin Valley. The radio play at the center of this episode, Ours to Lose, written by Yia Lee and produced by the Valley Roots Project, is based on an interesting research process. The play was written using a Story Circle process that involved interviews with real farmers from across the Central Valley. The result is a powerful and revealing portrait of Hmong-American farmers that really rings true, as you'll hear in the audio portrait of Lilian Thaoxaochay, Hmong-American farm-kid-turned-anthropologist, which is the second part of our podcast. We're in the middle of a podcast series based on Borderlands of the San Joaquin Valley--check out Podcast 5, if you haven't already heard it.

Mai Nguyen is an innovative grain farmer and an influential farmer organizer. In this interview, the first in our new series of conversations with food movement leaders that we're calling "Digging Deep," Mai talks with Ildi Carlisle-Cummins about how examining our agricultural past is the only way to move into a just, healthy farming future. As she puts it, "I, like other farmers, have perhaps 40 tries to grow my crops. That's not many, but we have more data points by looking back and looking around us. Scale isn't about one individual using their monoculture of the mind to manage vast acreage. Scale is time, human history, diversity -- the polyculture of many minds working lands in different ways throughout time and at the same time." This new Cal Ag Roots podcast series--Digging Deep: Conversations with Food Movement Leaders about the History of Farming-- will be released every other month. I’ll be talking with people who are working to shift farming right now, bringing California farming into the future. And we’ll be talking about how their understanding of the past, and how what they learn from Cal Ag Roots stories, has shifted their thinking about their work. Each of the conversations will draw on Cal Ag Roots stories, so if you haven't heard them all yet, take a listen! Particularly relevant to today’s podcast is the last one we released—#5, Borderlands of the SJV. I’ll keep on producing that style of podcasts and releasing them here—there are so, so many more histories to unearth. The two different kinds of podcasts are going to be in constant conversation with each other, so I’m hoping anyway, that you’ll tune into both and that each episode will be more meaningful that way.

In this podcast, listeners hear about the waves of immigrants who have shaped California's agricultural empire-- the great Central Valley. Much of this podcast comes from our latest live event, "Borderlands of the San Joaquin Valley." Janaki Jagannath describes the ways that small immigrant farmers carve out niches in the industrial agricultural landscape of the Central Valley and experiment with innovative farming techniques that bring the soil to life. Poets Marisol Baca and Aideed Medina collaborate on two poems that powerfully illustrate the inter-weaving of cultures in the Valley and that speak to the immigrant experience in a time of increasing anti-immigrant oppression. Long-time Valley activist Lupe Martinez plays folk and organizing songs on guitar throughout the podcast. "Despite those billboards that say 'farmers feed the world,' there's a far less glamorous group of farmers that are feeding the community." –Organizer Janaki Jagannath "We are gathered at the Filipino Hall at sunset, the sweet-smelling ladies of the Society of Mary cooing motherly to a Chicanita in Tagalog. –Poet Aideed Medina "The Central Valley is a landscape that has been shaped by wave after wave of immigrants. From the Chinese to the Japanese to the Filipinos to the Portuguese to the Armenians to the Sikhs to the Hmong, dozens of groups of people from all around the globe, really, have dug their shovels and their fingers into California dirt." - Ildi Carlisle-Cummins, Cal Ag Roots Director

Picture your produce aisle: Strawberries. Tomatoes. Lettuce. Celery. Onions. These crops fill shopping carts across the country and a full third of them come from California. There was a time, though, when California fields grew mostly wheat. Huge tracts of the land we now know as the salad bowl of the world were then pumping out massive quantities of grain, not fruits or vegetables. In the early twentieth century California farming underwent a major transformation that created the abundance you can see in your produce-aisle today. And one particular group of California farmers really laid the foundation for that transformation. We don’t often hear their names and many of their stories have been long-buried. According to Isao Fujimoto, "The early success of the Japanese farmers led the Japanese to be productive farmers, but instead of being praised, they got attacked. And the attack came in the form of Alien Land Laws." In a lot of ways, you could say Japanese immigrants started California’s produce industry. But racist immigration laws and policies tried to push them out of the rural landscape. A few influential farming families dug in, shaping the industry in powerful ways. Many others left farming as a way of preserving their families and moving forward with their lives. As we’ll hear, the Japanese American story in California farming is about tremendous ingenuity that’s met with a pretty sinister backlash. And it’s about ugliness that’s met with some pretty powerful resistance. And the story couldn't be more relevant right now. As Nikiko Masumoto puts it, "If we as a CA we, as a diverse, beautiful CA we, want to heal some of the wounds of the past, we have to look at what happened before and why has there been an exodus out of farming by some communities of color." You might never look at your produce section in the same way again.

It might be hard to imagine now, but there was a time when Mexican immigrant workers were welcomed with open arms into Californian communities. The Braceros were Mexican guest workers, many of whom saved the crops left in farm fields as WWII started and young men enlisted-- some call them the forgotten members of the greatest generation. This is the story of how the Bracero program became abusive over the course of decades, eventually crumbling under organizing pressure from farm workers. And it’s also the surprising story of what that farm worker movement missed in bringing down the Bracero program-- told here by people with personal connections to the work.

Until 1982, there was a law on the books—the 1902 Reclamation Act-- that limited the size of farms allowed to use government subsidized irrigation water across the Western U.S. to just 160 acres. That’s much, much smaller than the kind of massive-scale agricultural development that characterizes California farming in general and the Central Valley in particular. This podcast tells the story of an activist group called National Land for People that fought to enforce the Reclamation Act-- and came close to achieving land reform in California's Central Valley.

When you think of California Cuisine do you imagine baby lettuces doused in olive oil and carefully arranged on white plates? If you’ve ever driven down the Highway 99 corridor, which cuts through California’s Central Valley, you might have a different sense of the state’s contributions to global food culture. Driving 99 any hour of the day or night, from July through September, you’ll likely have to swerve around trucks mounded impossibly high with tomatoes. You’ll pass acres and acres of dense, low tomato plants being harvested by machines that spit them out into trailers bound for a string of processing facilities that dot the valley. 2015 was a record for processing tomatoes, with a projected 14.3 million tons harvested. California’s Central Valley will, yet again, play a critical role in ensuring that one of America’s favorite condiments—ketchup—remains in plentiful supply. On the surface, this cheap condiment might not seem to have anything to do with California cuisine. But, as it turns out, there’s an incredible tale that ties the two together in surprising ways. This podcast was produced by the Cal Ag Roots Project at the California Institute for Rural Studies.