CDFA panel marks Black History Month, spotlights BIPOC advisory work and farmer support programs

At a California Department of Food and Agriculture panel celebrating Black History Month, agency staff and two farmers highlighted efforts to expand partnerships with Black farmers, sustain a permanent BIPOC advisory committee and use science to shape regenerative- and climate-smart farming programs.

The session opened with a reminder that this year marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month and a CDFA representative described the department's work "to expand and grow our partnerships with Black farmers" and to make sure "their interests and needs are represented in our processes and our programs." The speaker named advisory organizations that have contributed to that work, including the African-American Farmers of California, the California Farmer Justice Collaborative, the Kern County Black Farmers Association, the Allensworth Progressive Association and the Ujama Farmer Collective, and thanked advisors including Don Sherman, Reverend Dennis Hudson, Kenneth Sparks and Na Tahara.

Lydia Moranga, who said she joined CDFA in July as a staff services analyst, described her background in plant pathology and prior work coordinating a "Feed the Future" innovation lab at UC Davis funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She said the lab's USDA funding ended, creating a gap for researchers and staff that helped prompt her move into CDFA. "There are multiple opportunities," Moranga said of moving between research and administrative roles, and she emphasized CDFA's focus on outreach, technical assistance and translating science into practical support for farmers.

Leonard, a farmer and longtime educator who managed a 365-acre college farm for around 21 years, described directing a program that supports early-stage farmers (those in the five- to 10-year window when attrition rates are high). He also noted his five-year service on CDFA's science advisory panel within the agency's resilience work and praised the panel's role in producing the department's recent definition of regenerative farming. "Agriculture is about providing food for people and food for your community," Leonard said, arguing that programs should both support new farmers and stress food-system resilience.

Panelists compared California's outreach and extension systems with conditions in Kenya, where Moranga grew up. She said Kenyan farming is often rainfed, marked by small landholdings and limited cash for inputs; common staples include corn, beans and millet, while export-driven crops such as avocados and cut flowers have expanded through contract farming. The discussion underscored technical gaps in extension and the variety of farmer motivations'from subsistence to export markets.

Both speakers used the occasion of Black History Month to highlight visibility and education: Leonard invoked figures such as George Washington Carver and urged inviting more people into agriculture rather than using alarmist framing. Moranga said the month serves as an educational bridge that highlights achievements and structural struggles that shaped access to science and farming careers.

The session closed with thanks to the panelists and a reminder that CDFA is continuing work to ensure minority and early-stage farmers can access training, technical assistance and programs informed by the agency's science advisory panels.