North Coast LFN Reaches Out to Latino Farm Workers in Spanish

Latino farm workers received classroom and in-the-field training during three recent LFN programs on the North Coast.
photo: Keith Abeles

Latino farm workers are the backbone of California’s agriculture, with the majority of farm operations relying on their hard work to succeed. Unfortunately, Latino farm workers tend to be marginalized as a group; they usually work as field laborers, making the least money and having few options to advance economically in agriculture. CAFF’s mission clearly states the need to promote social justice in agriculture. Recognizing this, the North Coast Chapter decided to organize an LFN educational event in Spanish.

We identified an opportunity to achieve multiple goals by teaching Latino farm workers practical field techniques that increase their skill levels, while fostering the use of ecological farming practices. Our goal is to equip workers with skills that have the potential to earn them better pay and obtain management level jobs. We enlisted the support and collaboration of several groups: The California Human Development Corporation (CHDC), Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC), Sonoma County Grape Growers Association (SCGGA), the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UCSAREP), and the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance (SVVGA). We pitched our ideas to the California Food and Fiber Futures Project (CF3), and got their financial support to conduct a survey and run three LFN programs in Spanish.

photo: Keith Abeles

The project got rolling in the summer of 2001. Rikka Rasmussen, farmer and Latino farm worker advocate, was hired to conduct a survey of farm workers and foremen to assess the most essential topics to cover in workshops. We decided to focus our efforts on educating workers in the viticulture industry, because it is the largest employer of Latino farm workers in our region. Rikka hosted four farm worker focus groups at vineyards in Napa and Sonoma counties. Mali Lopez of CHDC led the sessions in Spanish. Workers were asked what skills and information they wished to acquire as well as what their needs would be to travel to and attend workshops. At the same time, the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association mailed 785 surveys (developed with the help of SRJC) to owners and managers of vineyards to determine what subjects they thought would be most useful.

We learned that most field workers sought basic knowledge on the overall cycle of grapevine growth and canopy management techniques. Many workers follow the lead of the most experienced workers or the one who “gets yelled at the least.” Workers often do not understand the point of their activities or how they relate to the goal of producing a high-quality grape. Unfortunately, many managers assume workers understand how vines grow and the point of different activities, or they lack the time to teach and train their employees sufficiently. We decided to address this gap in understanding and offer two of our workshops on general viticulture concepts and techniques.

Wanting to reach out to a broad cross section of workers, we decided to offer our third workshop to foremen. Many experienced foremen are eager to expand their knowledge. The subject that clearly garnered foremen’s was pest /disease identification and associated management strategies.

By the end of 2001, we identified our topics and audience. Wanting to provide our workshops in late winter/early spring – after workers might be returning from visits to Mexico and before they got too busy with springtime work – we began organizing logistics and promoting programs. Rikka handed the baton to Linda Peterson, proprietor of Ventures in Sustainability, to organize the programs. By February, we had presenters, times and places, and sent out over 300 mailers in Spanish and English to announce the programs. In addition we coordinated with the UFW to notify folks of the opportunity, and the bi-lingual radio station KBBF in Santa Rosa made 50 Public Service Announcements. Interest was high, and the programs quickly filled.

Atwood Ranch in Glen Ellen hosted the first workshop on March 13. Titled “ Overview of Growth Cycle of Grapevine and Canopy Management,” it featured three hours of pertinent information and question and answer session presented in Spanish. Hector Bedolla, vineyard manager for Kendall -Jackson and president of the SCGGA, presented general concepts. Chris Bowland, viticulturist for Lloyd Vineyard Management and SRJC organic viticulture instructor, covered field techniques. They both addressed specifics of pruning, trellising, thinning and sustainable techniques. The participants received several handouts in Spanish. Nearly 30 workers participated, showing great interest in the subject material. The workshop concluded with presenters personally congratulating each participant with a handshake and a certificate. This ritual was conducted at each workshop, ending things on a highly positive and appreciative note.

The next workshop was held at SRJC’s Shone Farm in Santa Rosa on March 20. Thirty foremen turned out for a program on pest and disease identification and relevant management strategies. Dr. Jenny Broome, plant pathologist from UCSAREP, covered disease subjects. Mario Moratorio, Ph.D., Urban Horticulture, Small Farms Advisor and IPM specialist with UCCE Yolo and Solano counties presented on insect ID and management.

The final workshop on March 27 at Shone Farm covered the same subject material as the first. This time Daniel Robledo, SRJC’s head viticulture instructor, presented. Daniel spent a good portion of his talk touring Shone Farm’s vineyards, pointing out the different trellising systems and other relevant vine management details. The response to all three workshops was overwhelmingly positive from participants, presenters, collaborators, and from employers who sent workers. When asked “What did you think of the workshops? Were they helpful?” participant Isaul Macias responded, “ Cada dia hay nuevas cosas que uno no puede terminar de comprender.” (”Each day you learn new things. You can never be done learning.”) This sums up the spirit of our workshops, but we recognize a strong need for these programs to continue. CAFF views itself as a catalyst, initiating workshops that will benefit Latino farm workers. While we achieved the goals and objectives of our CF3 project, we want to see the programs continue, institutionalized by groups that benefit from the labor of Latino farm workers. Currently the SRJC agriculture department is considering expanding its offerings of viticulture classes in Spanish. The SCGGA is calling together interested stakeholder groups to determine how to fund and continue to offer programs in Spanish, similar to those we offered. The challenge is to offer convenient, inexpensive, and relevant programs.