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Speaking out against pesticide use
Childhood cancer rates in Santa Cruz county are more than 38% above the overall childhood cancer rate of 16.3%. This makes the cancer rate for children 0 to 14 years old the second highest in Santa Cruz county of all California counties, according to Dr. Ann López, the director of the Center for Farmworker Families.
Dolores Huerta raises awareness about pesticide use in Pajaro Valley
Event organized by Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture. WATSONVILLE — More than a hundred community members gathered on an overcast Saturday morning outside the agricultural fields behind MacQuiddy Elementary School in Watsonville to hear iconic activist and labor organizer Dolores Huerta, alongside local leaders, speak about the use of dangerous pesticides near homes and schools in South County.
Organic farming in focus
Local organic farming and the healthy foods that come from them took center stage June 16 at the first ever Día de Esperanza Community Festival. The event, put on by 40 volunteers and drew around 300 people, was staged across the rolling slopes of Esperanza Community Farms on Lee Road for “the community to celebrate and promote the richness of organic agriculture on the central coast of California.”
Farm 2 Cafeteria: Bringing Organic Salad to High Schools
Farm 2 Cafeteria is a student-led program that focuses on bringing local organic produce to schools in the form of a salad. It began in August 2021 with field trips to Esperanza Community Farms co-led by Mireya Gomez-Contreras where students planned and designed the program.
Spotlight on Equity: Esperanza Farms
We recently spoke with Mireya Gomez-Contreras Co-Lider (co-leader) at Esperanza Community Farms (ECF). She is an activist, farmer, mother, leader, storyteller, and more. Along with Guillermo Lazaro (Co-leader) and the team of diverse community members (Latino/Mexican immigrants, students, activist, community members in Pajaro and Salinas Valleys, and others), they are making a positive impact through their food justice efforts.
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Santa Cruz County holiday foodie gift guide
It’s the holiday season and for many, it’s also gift-shopping season. Have a foodie on your shopping list? Santa Cruz County has an incredible number of local businesses where you can find fabulous food- or kitchen-related gifts. Here are some recommendations.
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USDA awards two grants to local farms in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties.
By Derrick Ow
SAN FRANCISCO, (KION-TV)- The United States and Drug Administration has awarded $10.7 million to fund 103 projects across the country which include two in Monterey and Santa Cruz County.
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On the Farm: Genius and Justice.
By Ellen Farmer to Edible Monterey Bay
Organic agriculture and activism intersect at UCSC’s farm apprentice program. For 20-some years, while sitting in her office and working as a bilingual counselor at Santa Cruz High School, Ana Rasmussen longed to…
Unsung Santa Cruz: Pajaro Valley High School seniors bring local, organic salads to their school
By Hillary Ojeda to LookOut SC
Pajaro Valley High School senior Karla Breanna Leyva remembers visiting Esperanza Community Farms for the first time last fall and how it impacted her.
