Cultivating a Movement: Putting a Face to Organic Farming in CA

How did California become a hotbed of pioneering organizations and farms that have transformed the food system locally and beyond over the past four decades? Come celebrate the local organic/sustainable foods movement and the UC Santa Cruz Library's publication of Cultivating a Movement: An Oral History of Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture on California's Central Coast. A tasting from the local Farmer's Market will precede the evening program.


Editors will read colorful stories from this anthology focusing on four individuals:

Amigo Bob Cantisano-Founding organizer of the annual Ecological Farming Conference and one of the most influential figures in California organic agriculture.

Andy Griffin helped create the 1970s organic-farming renaissance, including growing for Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Restaurant, and joined the burgeoning organic salad greens business in California.

Maria Ines Catalan was the first Latina migrant farm worker to run certified organic farm in California, and the first Latina in the country who found a farm that distributes produce through a community supported agriculture program.

Dee Harley runs San Mateo County's only active dairy. Harley and her staff care for more than 200 goats, crafting the animals' milk into sought-after cheeses that garner awards at national and international competitions.

About the Editors:

Irene Reti directs the Regional History Project at the UC Santa Cruz Library and is the author and/or editor of many books, including Kabbalah of Stone.

Sarah Rabkin was raised in Berkeley, teaches environmental studies and writing at UC Santa Cruz, and is also the author of What I Learned at Bug Camp: Essays on Finding a Home in the World.

Esther Ehrlich is a writer, oral historian, and founder of Story Lines, which creates written and video life histories for individuals, families, and organizations.