Our speaker is Farmer Mai Nguyen, who grows and mills heirloom grains in Sonoma County. Farmer Mai works for climate and social justice through farming, actions and advocacy. She is part of a global movement of agroecological farming, which integrates the science of sustainable agriculture with social justice. These farming practices encompass what the US considers organic or regenerative, while also embracing traditional, place-based knowledge that is healthful for ecosystems and those who live in them.

“Seeds remember. Growing heirloom seeds saved from the same soil and climate, even as we face climate change’s extreme droughts and floods, means that the seeds remember how to adapt. Seeds also carry our stories–where we came from and what nourished our ancestors. The heirloom grains I grow come from many parts of the world by the hands of people immigrating or escaping. These seeds connect them to a place and people as they make a new home here. The diversity of seed reflects the diversity of our society.” Farmer Mai Nguyen