California Center for Cooperative Development (CCCD) Cooperative Facilitator Mai Nguyen displays some of the garbanzo beans she used to seed one of her farm operation fields that grow the beans and four varieties of heritage wheat, on Dec. 30, 2017. The varieties that thrive will be harvested for the next season of more seeds. Over multiple harvests, a supply of seed will be available to wheat producers for commercialization and bought by local bakers and residents. One of the plots started from a teaspoon of heritage seeds obtained from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural
California Center for Cooperative Development (CCCD) Cooperative Facilitator Mai Nguyen displays some of the garbanzo beans she used to seed one of her farm operation fields that grow the beans and four varieties of heritage wheat, on Dec. 30, 2017. The varieties that thrive will be harvested for the next season of more seeds. Over multiple harvests, a supply of seed will be available to wheat producers for commercialization and bought by local bakers and residents. One of the plots started from a teaspoon of heritage seeds obtained from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). The NPGS is a collaborative effort to safeguard the genetic diversity of agriculturally important plants. To help share the cost of farming, she has started a cooperative of small-scale farmers in the area to buy farm and seed cleaning equipment. Her work with CCCD supports the building of agricultural artisan, worker-owned cooperative businesses. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is one of many organizations that award grants to qualified businesses, which build other businesses. CCCD is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization does this by promoting cooperatives and helping them to build their capabilities to address the economic and social needs of California’s communities. The organization supports agricultural, childcare, utility, financial, housing, and other worker-owned cooperative businesses with start-up, management, and other technical assistance. As businesses become self-sufficient, it’s members share in the rewards, challenges, decisions and responsibilities. Mai’s parents emigrated from Vietnam during and following the 1975 “Fall of Saigon.” Later, they met, married and had Mai. During her childhood in an immigrant community, she recalls how families learned to cook and prepared available local foods, but still had a desire for foods that were part of their heritage, for her family,
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Keywords: agribusiness, agricultural, agriculture, communities, development, economic, education, empowerment, entrepreneurship, equality, family, farm, farm--table, farmer, farmers, farming, farms, female, food, gender, health, labor, land, leadership, management, organic, ownership, production, rights, roles, rural, small-scale, sustainable, woman, women, women-led, womens
