Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Three pioneers from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers Fair Food Program will share the groundbreaking tale of uniting workers, growers, and buyers to establish enforceable human rights standards in US agriculture. This partnership birthed a global blueprint for safeguarding workers' fundamental rights in corporate supply chains.

From a farmworker advocate rallying consumers for industry responsibility to a co-founder of FFP, and a former NY State Supreme Court judge ensuring protocol adherence, they'll illuminate the program's transformative impact and its rapid expansion. This success story embodies a win/win/win for all involved.

  • Greg Asbed

    is a co-founder of th Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and a principal author of the CIW's Fair Food Program (FFP) and the Worker-driven Social Responsibility (WSR) model. He coordinates relations among farmworkers, food retailers (including Walmart, Whole Foods, and McDonald’s), and agricultural industry leaders within the FFP, speaks English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole fluently, and spent 18 seasons harvesting watermelons across the Southeastern United States.

  • Judge Laura Safer Espinoza

    directs the Fair Food Standards Council, a non-profit organization, which monitors and enforces the Fair the Food Program’s groundbreaking agreements between agricultural workers, growers, and corporate buyers, to ensure fundamental human rights for workers in agriculture. Judge Safer Espinoza, a former NY State Supreme Court Justice who served as a judge and court administrator for twenty years, has an extensive history of work with government and human rights organizations in the U.S and Latin America.

  • Gerardo Reyes Chavez

    is a key leader of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. He has been a farmworker since age 11and works closely with consumer allies in the Campaign for Fair Food. He speaks publicly about the Fair Food Program at events across the country and conducts workers’ rights education at farms participating in the program. Mr. Reyes also receives complaints of abuses outside the program, and assists in the investigation of cases of modern-day slavery.

Cultivating Sucess:

Insights from Seasoned Farmer

  • Doria Robinson

    is a third-generation Richmond, California resident, is the Executive Director at Urban Tilth. Raised between Richmond and a church’s 350-acre ranch in Fairfield, Doria worked on organic farms in Massachusetts and held roles at Veritable Vegetable and the Real Food Company. In 2014, she initiated Urban Tilth’s 3-acre urban farm, and in 2016, revitalized the Farm to Table CSA, now serving 500 West County families weekly and supporting 10 small family and BiPOC farms. In 2023, Urban Tilth acquired the Nabeta Farm, expanding their urban farm to 10 acres. Doria was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the California Board of Food and Agriculture in 2022.

  • Maria Ana Reyes

    is the proud owner of Narci Organic Farms. Originally hailing from Guerrero, Mexico, she immigrated to the U.S.A. in 1989. Maria Ana spent over two decades as a dedicated strawberry picker in major agricultural enterprises. In 2015, she made a life-altering choice by enrolling in a course at ALBA (Agriculture and Land-based Training Association) in Salinas, a program that empowers individuals to launch their own organic farming ventures. It wasn't until 2017 that Maria Ana officially established her business, and since then, she has tirelessly worked to achieve her current success. Presently, her daughters, Yesenia and Angelica, play pivotal roles in managing the enterprise. Both are proud graduates of Fresno State University, having earned their Bachelor's degrees in Agricultural Business. Their unwavering support is invaluable to Maria Ana. Often questioned about the meaning behind "Narci," Maria Ana reveals that it was her late mother's affectionate nickname. In homage to her cherished memory, Maria Ana chose to bestow her company with this profoundly special name.

  • Bryce Loewen

    is a fourth-generation farmer, entrusted with the stewardship of Blossom Bluff Orchards—a distinguished organic fruit farm nestled in Fresno County. Alongside his parents, Ted and Fran, Bryce, along with his sister Renata, assume the management of the sprawling 78-acre orchard, which proudly cultivates an extensive array of approximately 150 fruit varieties. The family employs a direct marketing approach, supplying their produce to esteemed establishments including stores, restaurants, bakeries, and breweries. Furthermore, they uphold a consistent presence at numerous year-round farmers' markets spanning the Bay Area and Central Valley.

Whispers of the Land:

A Conversation with David Mas Masumoto

Explore the meaning behind the organic foods we grow and market and the fruits of our labor we work to share. Recognize the multiple meanings as we expand the definition of the our "return on investment."

Stories brand our identity and capture our "calling." Personal and emotional drivers underlie the work we do as we forge a social network of partners. Feel the culture of organic farming, listen to voices of the past as we forge a future where human and social capital matter.

"I farm with ghosts... We seek not success but significance... We are filled with "next years."

from Masumoto's latest book: Secret Harvests

Masumoto, author of 14 books including Epitaph for a Peach, will share stories behind the evolution of his family and organic farming, explore the tension between what is considered "normal" in contrast to the defective and disabled, and probe what lies in the near future with technology and new models of thinking.

Nicole Masters

Becoming Ecological

Nicole Masters

These times call for different ways of approaching and looking at complex challenges. In the vast sea of ecological farming systems, where waves of opinions crash against each other, it's easy for conversations to become combative, positional and ultimately unproductive. How can we instead create an ecosystem of conversation that is regenerative and ecologically sound? We have all the factors for transformation – with the passion, urgency, deep care, know-how and skills. Yet different factors are getting in the way of realizing this dream on the ground. Join this session for a deep dive into how we can all engage more deeply in polarizing conversations to overcome the barriers to create a truly organic, regenerative, ecological world?

Nicole Masters is an independent agroecologist, author, coach and educator. For over 2 decades, Nicole has been recognized as a knowledgeable and dynamic speaker on the topic of soil health.

Her experience has spanned diverse sectors from horticulture, to commercial compost and diverse multi-species livestock systems. Working in biomes that range from temperate to semi-arid she has witnessed up-close, the power of soil health in making measurable differences in people's lives.

Her company, Integrity Soils delivers coaching and educational programs to producers and organizations spanning over 29 million acres.

In 2021 Integrity Soils shifted away from in-person consultancy, to focus on training the next generation of coaches.

Her book titled “For the Love of Soil; Strategies to Regenerate our Food Production Systems” showcases examples of the tools and principles producers are using to regenerate their soils.