A.G. Kawamura

After seven years as the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, I am making the transition back to the private sector as a partner with my brother at Orange County Produce, LLC. We are a diversified grower and shipper of fresh produce, specializing in strawberries and green beans.

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom was first introduced to me during its inception, through my involvement with the Orange County Farm Bureau. I had become involved in local agriculture education efforts through The Centennial Farm, a garden-based learning project at the Orange County Fair that has since blossomed into a dynamic agricultural education project that serves Orange County and surrounding areas to this day. Through this work, it became clear to me that young children enjoy themselves and learn actively through experiences like harvesting or planting. I have seen the lasting value of teaching them the nature and origin of things, so when CFAITC was formed, I was a big fan from the start.

The monumental importance of educating our younger generation about agriculture became clear during a visit from a group of students who came to a community edible park to harvest food for the food bank—I will never forget it. These young kids, around six years old, were harvesting carrots for the first time. One of the young kids didn't believe that carrots truly grew in the ground and accused us of "staging" the carrots. After convincing the young man that the carrots did grow in the ground, the whole group was aghast that I would pick one up, brush off the soil, and eat it! They couldn't believe that I would eat something "dirty." I soon convinced them that it was a delicious treat and had them all eating carrots right out of the ground. I suspect it was a first step for many of them in the relationship that they might still have today with eating fresh!

Today, I continue to look for ways to promote the miracle of agriculture in both my public and private life. I believe that we are all stakeholders in the success of agriculture—if the public doesn't understand it, they have trouble supporting it. I will continue to stay involved with various agriculture education projects including Ag in the Classroom, the Great Park in Irvine, Centennial Farm Foundation, Center for Land Based Learning and the California School Garden Network.

We can not afford to allow ignorance, indifference and misconceptions jeopardize the future of agricultural endeavors at the local, regional, national and global levels. An agriculturally literate and concerned public sector that understands the challenges, threats and benefits of agriculture will be the backbone of support that agriculture needs in the present, and future, to sustain itself and advance its success. California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom is among our greatest partners in bringing education and awareness for this precious industry.

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