Roundtable on Wheels: Getting to Know the Central Valley
Bus Tour. April 27, 2024
8:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
Tickets $100 general $50 students
This event requires registration 30 tickets are available.
Register here: https://secure.afsc.org/a/pvi-farm-bus-tour
We’re thrilled to return the “Roundtable on Wheels: Getting to Know the Central Valley Bus Tour” on Saturday, April 27, 2024. A highlight of the National encuentro Salt of the Earth: Cultivating Climate, Food, and Land Justice. The bus tour will begin at 7:50 a.m.- Meet at Madera Courthouse Park and park cars in the designated parking area. Afterward, we’ll board the bus. The tour will conclude at 3:10 p.m. when we arrive at Madera Courthouse Park for car pick-ups.
This interactive bus tour will take us to small-scale farms in Madera and Merced counties to gain hands-on experience and engage in conversations with immigrant and refugee small farmers. We are providing insights into the challenges and opportunities of small farming amid predominantly agro-industrial food production. We will hear about the future of family-run agriculture and the challenges of building a local market that values the growth of organic and small-scale produce. We’ll address concerns regarding climate change, access to land, and working capital.
In Madera, we will visit the Cruz Martinez Farm, owned by Teodora and Melecio Cruz, who migrated from Oaxaca to work as farm workers. At the Cruz Martinez Farm, Luis Elizondo Perez will share about Madera’s Queen Honey, a venture the Elizondo Pérez Family created since its establishment in 2020.
In Merced County, we will visit Guzman and Son’s Produce. They are located in Atwater, California, with a Mediterranean climate that allows them to grow year-round.
The tour will conclude with lunch at the Xiong Family Farm. The Xiong Family Farm started with two refugees’ dream to own a home. After years of searching, Chue and Soua purchased their home in the summer of 2010. It sat on a three-acre lot. Immediately, they knew they wanted their land to provide for their family and community.
Myrna Martinez N
PVI Founding Program Director