By Karen Villarreal

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – APRIL 21, 2023 – Carlos Wong, a freshman in the UTRGV Agroecology program, wants to empower the next generation of growers to implement change. So he is calling upon today’s lawmakers, teachers and consumers to jumpstart the process.

“We can have a more secure food system in the future,” he told an audience of professors, leaders in local food security efforts, and community health advocates gathered on the UTRGV Edinburg Campus for the second day of the university’s first Food Summit event.

Wong and three young farmers ranging from middle school to college-age spoke with the group of leaders gathered at the UTRGV Education Complex as part of the “Future of Food” panel. The student farmers shared how the agriculture programs they have participated in at their schools have helped them, and said they think it can help other students.

“I think we should start advocating for the next wave to be involved,” Wong said. “If teachers implement small forms of agriculture without the students feeling it, it can become the norm.”

TREND-SETTING STUDENTS

Dr. Alexis Racelis, director of the Agroecology program, said the panel of students are trend-setters whose work in paving the way for future students must be supported and elevated.

“The future of food requires that everyone collaborate to make our food systems healthier and more prosperous,” he said. “This panel is an honest conversation about what we can do, and what resources we need to keep it going for the future.”

The student panel, moderated by Mackenzie Feldman, director of Re:Wild Your Campus, consisted of:

• Eric Niño, seventh grade, IDEA Public Schools Farm
• Marcos Cano, 11th grade, Mission CISD; involved with the district’s A.R.M.E.R.S program.
• Andre Gianelli Muñiz Cavazos, a member of the PSJA ISD+ Special Education Transition Services.
• And Wong, a freshman at UTRGV who is conducting mycology research with the UTRGV Hub of Prosperity “living lab.”

Wong, who originally thought he would go into engineering, said he had a change of heart after volunteering at the Hub of Prosperity farm.

“I developed a sense of wanting to solve this food insecurity problem,” he said. “This is our future, and if we don’t involve sustainable farming into the schemas of our life, we won’t have food soon.”

Wong is on track to be a sustainable agriculture advocate to help create solutions locally – starting with participation on the panel with Niño, Cano, and Cavazos.

GROWING APPRECIATION

Cavazos, who learned farming skills through the PSJA ISD+ transition program, said the project was challenging but rewarding. They planted a salsa and butterfly garden, built picnic tables, and gave demonstrations to their schoolmates on how to make smoothies with their fresh produce. 

“The hardest part was keeping the plants alive,” he said, listing the five required elements: soil, water, light, climate – and bees. “Bees keep plants alive, so please don’t kill them,” he said.

His favorite part was sharing the produce they harvested with PSJA Kindergarten children. 

“We sparked their curiosity about the plants; we actually saw that,” he said.

 Cano agreed that the process is hard, but that the rewards “can’t be bought.”

“You have to experience seeing the small seed grow into giant, fruit-bearing plants,” the high school junior said. “It’s the greatest feeling. We look forward to harvest day all year.”

SPREADING SEEDS OF SUSTAINABILITY

Today, having grown produce with his own hands, Cano said, his aesthetic preferences have changed, overshadowed by a deeper appreciation for farmers’ efforts.

“My first attempts at growing cucumbers weren’t pretty, but they tasted better than anything in the stores. Now, I know ‘ugly’ produce isn’t bad,” he said. “I know that someone put effort into harvesting this, so I try to eat my fruit first at lunch.”

Cano also connected with his farmer grandfather through his newfound skills, honoring his life’s work by starting a home garden with him.

“It’s a great way to spend time with family,” Cano said.

The youngest panelist, Niño, said he has found gardening and farming to be a healthy habit. He sees many of his peers spending a lot of time on social media, and he thinks that can cause a lot of problems.

“I’m one of those kids, too, but I’m learning to see the world around me for what it truly is, and relish the little things,” he said. “Be it how our food is produced, where it comes from and what it tastes like – it gives us a sense that life can be sweet and bitter at the same time.”

He said he tries to share those experiences with his friends.  

“There’s a lot to gain, more than you’d think,” he tells them. “And you can always try new things.”

BRANCHING OFF

Cano, who similarly has recruited three members to the F.A.R.M.E.R.S group, said his career plans have changed after discovering his interest in plants. 

He originally wanted to study marine biology, but since joining the farming class, he wants to combine both of those interests by studying algae or coral reefs at UTRGV when he graduates from high school.

“Our ocean is probably the most important ecosystem we have,” he said. “We want to grow stuff on land that we can eat, but we don’t have to put the ocean on the backburner. The two fields are not so different.”

Marianela Franklin, chief sustainability officer at UTRGV, said this shift to a sustainability mindset among the younger generations has been nurtured over time through the efforts of dedicated educators – much like the agroecology program at UTRGV. 

 “It took some time to develop the sustainable agriculture program,” she said. “The beautiful thing is to now see the fruits of how it’s bringing sustainable development to our region.”