Local California farmers encourage youth to return to farming with more knowledge and care for the land

Faced with the effects of climate change, there are efforts by the California government to support farmers who engage in organic and environmentally friendly production.

One of the Latino farmers who has benefited from subsidies is Javier Cruz of Cruz Martinez Farms who produces organically and also promotes the inclusion of young people in the field. He participates in the Farm to School project and many students visit his farm to learn about his processes.

Javier Cruz, Farmer, Cruz Martinez Farms, Chowchilla, says that since 2012 they have been certified organic producers.

He says that as the area where they live Chowchilla, Ca is very small the requests from schools also but right there they complement each other. Finally he recalls that they also support small producers with schools or small businesses.

Javier Cruz, Farmer, Cruz Martinez Farms, Chowchilla, comments that they have school events on their ranch to get young people interested in planting but also to take care of the land.

In addition, Javier Cruz, Farmer, Cruz Martinez Farms, Chowchilla, says that what they want is for young Latinos to return Latinos to their roots.

Javier says the most important thing is for youth to stay in the fields.

Javier Cruz Martinez recalls that in our community many times, our parents worked from sunrise to sunset in the fields as immigrants looking for their children to have a better chance in life and to study so that they would not work as they did in the fields, however, he believes that now there are many options taking advantage of the effort that parents made to study, and to apply in a new way more technology and integral in the field.

He emphasizes that his approach has been to educate them to stay in the field.
And he assures that there are other opportunities that can be explored.

Javier Cruz, Farmer, Cruz Martinez Farms, Chowchilla, says that participating in the Farm to School project allows him to generate employment and support the community and to have new projects such as planting orange trees and blueberries.

As he knows, the countryside is a place rich in production, but also in employment and the land can be helped by using more technology and combining the new vision of young Latinos and applying their ancestral planting methods.

This is part of the series “Cuando se seca el Arroyo” and is produced in part by The Walton Family Foundation.