Allensworth strives for sustainable farming

Allensworth, a community comprised primarily of Latino and black families, faces challenges in maintaining sustainable agriculture that allows the land to regenerate and the community to thrive.

The community has been surrounded by extractive monocultures from institutional investors, but experts and community leaders want to avoid maintaining agricultural practices that are harmful to the soil, land, air, ecosystem and people of this region of the San Joaquin Valley.

Daniela Rodriguez, a scholar at UC Berkeley, has prepared this piece that shows us the challenges that communities like those in the San Joaquin Valley have to face.

In Allensworth, a town in Tulare County, the Latino and black communities face environmental pollution and damage from monoculture. Also, leaders are working to promote regenerative agriculture, while activists in the Firebaugh community are seeking support for revitalization, access to land and pesticide-free zones, and incentives for sustainable small farmers. Jose Armando Munguia, Manager of the Los Angeles California-based “Agricultural Enterprise Development” Project, tells us Allensworth’s unique story.

Jose: Allensworth was founded in 1980. The mission of the community was to raise a town for blacks where they feel safe and free to govern themselves and create a community and economy. education for themselves. Allensworth is the only town, the only intention that was created in California. And they got investment, money from Canada from every state in the United States and also Mexico. Blacks who left the United States to live a life in Mexico. And with these funds, they bought 800 acres next to Tulare Lake.

Daniela: Despite its agricultural riches, Allensworth (also) faces many environmental health threats, such as water and air pollution. Dr. Angel Fernandez-Beau, senior climate scientist for the Western States for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a Merced-based organization, reports on how agribusiness has come to cause challenges to this population in Central California.

Dr. Angel: (10:39:2) In the case of agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley. The central valley, even in California in general, is an agriculture that has become large scale, and being large scale, it’s trying to, well, maximize the economic benefit and not the benefits, for the people of public health, which is a tool that agriculture has that is extremely powerful, agriculture is our environment. And if we have a healthy agriculture, we have a healthy environment.

Daniela: You also say that extractivist agriculture is not beneficial for the soil or for local residents, but rather for investors, who many times are not located in the United States.

Dr. Angel: This activist extract is not only of natural resources, but also of the economy. Because it leaves communities that do not have a local economy, they do not have socioeconomic opportunities, they do not have this environmental resilience that helps us to fight against climate change.

Daniela: Scientist Fernández-Beau emphasizes the importance of integrating a more regenerative agriculture.
Dr. Angel: (12:46:2) Understanding agriculture as part of nature and not as something that serves us, but for something that we contribute too.

That would greatly increase our resilience against climate change and help communities like for example Allensworth, which flooded last year.

Daniela: You also mention that sustainable agriculture keeps your income among local communities and gives farmers purchasing power. Allensworth has plans to become a center for regenerative agriculture. Jose Armando, from Agricultural Business Development, tells us that they are starting to implement the plan which will be a farm field full of vegetables and orchards.

Jose: And everything is to cover the soil, to lower the temperature of the soil and to have a healthy system for the soil. And so, when the soil is healthy with clean water, we can grow clean food.

Daniela: In order to achieve healthy soil, pesticides will not be used, since a large part of the Allensworth community has worked in agricultural fields where these chemicals are used and have had very harmful results for the health of the community.

Jose: They themselves are asking for something for their children, some future for them. Something different, something that they can work now and have a future for their children and grandchildren, right? And that part is very important to have the strength of the community, the support of the community where they themselves are ready to change and work and implement and defend these projects.

Daniela: Similarly, in Firebaugh, another under-resourced city also facing environmental problems, efforts are underway to turn the area into a center for regenerative agriculture. Angel Fernandez-Beau mentions that the mayor of that city, Felipe Perez, is fighting to bring better living conditions to his community.

Dr. Angel: He has been teaching people how to farm like. Uh, you know, farming without pesticides without adding too much fertilizer, how to do healthy agricultural production.

Daniela: Although Firebaugh is still on track to realize these plans, Angel stresses that it is crucial to take community leadership seriously, as they know the problems and solutions, but sometimes there is a lack of financial resources.

Thanks to Daniela Rodriguez, this is part of the “Cuando se Seca el Arroyo” Series, funded in part by The Walton Family Foundation.