The Latino Farmer Conference showcased farms from Escondido to Pauma Valley, and lecturers addressed topics ranging from water conservation to organic farming and business management.
The son of migrant farm workers from Nayarit, Mexico, Hector Lopez said he wanted nothing to do with agriculture for most of his life after watching the way his parents were treated. Now retired, he changed his mind during the pandemic when he saw an opportunity to buy an avocado farm in Bonsall with the hopes of increasing local access to quality produce.
Omar Rodriguez, a conference organizer and sustainable agriculture specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology, said the conference, which happens in different California locations each year, is intended as both a place for farmers to network with each other and for them to connect with organizations that provide resources and support.
On the first day of the conference, two charter buses of farmers, agriculture students, advocates and government officials toured three farms. Edward Calac, who supervises the vineyard, said that the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians used profits from its casino to buy back some of its ancestral land in Pauma Valley. Though the tribe has long cultivated citrus and avocado, he said, the 3-year-old farm includes a lot of firsts for the community.
Joe Aguilar explained to tour guests that because of the sandy soil in that part of the valley and the ever-growing concerns about water use, the tribe had opted to plant olive trees, which are hardy and require less water than many of the fruit trees typically grown in the area.
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