Empowering Ecological Farming Communities: Reflections on EcoFarm 2026
EcoFarm is one of the oldest and largest gatherings of organic farmers and food policy advocates in the U.S. The 46th EcoFarm Conference was a sanctuary that paid reverence to the lands we steward, the seeds we sow, and the communities we shepherd. This years’ theme - Seeds of Strength: Empowering Farmers for a Changing Climate - was a space to imagine new landscapes of cooperation and reimagine wounded systems. Carlton Turner’s opening plenary speech traced the evolving relationship between food, place, memory, and community. His sentiments set the tone for desiring deeper states of belonging and intimacy with our landscapes and the people who grow the food that nurtures so many.
With over 60 workshops, we were treated to a veritable buffet of knowledge and inspiration. The sessions focused on seed sovereignty, soil health, food as medicine, farming with animals, weeds, and pests, access to land, the future of equitable food access, and farming with intention. The conversations reinforced the importance of building community around food systems, sustaining economies of care, and investing in networks of mentorship. One stand out workshop was a deep dive into the theme of “Community vs. Commodity.” Farmer panelists and audience members envisioned a future food system focused less on widespread commodity centered farming — leading to land extraction and environmental justice inequities — and more on building the health and wellbeing of the people and local communities it serves.
Also shared during the 3-day long conference were tangible resources that serve as valuable guides for visioning and enacting equitable futures in California and beyond. The Homeless Garden Project based in Santa Cruz shared their long-awaited manual for cities/organizations/individuals to seed similar projects in their communities that bring vulnerable community members closer to food and nature. The California Land Equity Taskforce, a 13-member committee established in the 2022 California Budget (AB 179), submitted their recommendations on land equity transformations in the state after two long years of research and community engagement.
The seed swap event was a live action exchange of love and alchemy. The air around EcoFarm bristled with a climate of shared hope for the harvests to come, while also acknowledging the intersecting challenges we face in sustaining natural resources, scaling local procurement, and protecting the hands that work the land. We heard best practices from farmers who are building back biodiversity, distributors who are collaborating with schools and food hubs, and food policy advocates who are striving to ensure that everyone has access to organically grown food.
As a farmer and student of environmental policy, EcoFarm expanded my knowledge of the tools we need to walk lightly yet courageously on this planet. EcoFarm reinforced my belief that the ways in which we grow and share food are the blueprints for how we become better human beings.