“You have to be resilient”: Producer perspectives to navigating a changing agricultural system in California, USA
Amy Quandt
Abstract
Imperial Valley, California is called ‘America's winter salad bowl’ as the agricultural sector produces 2/3 of the winter vegetables eaten in the U.S. However, there is little understanding of the interplay of policy, environmental conditions, and economic components of the agricultural system producers face in the valley. Using a resilience approach, this study asks the research question of how producers in the Imperial Valley perceive and are adapting to changing conditions. Through interviews with eight agricultural producers, this paper identifies current challenges and strategies producers employ to navigate a changing agricultural system and build resilience for the future. Results highlight the critical role of government policies in the establishment of agriculture in the Valley, while producers see recent policies, such as labor and food safety regulations, as increasing their operation costs. Producers face economic challenges including losing contracts to Mexico, market price fluctuations, land leasing, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Maintaining access to water resources and investing in mechanization and technological innovations are two strategies producers use to maintain resilience and navigate change. Understanding how producers remain resilient given ongoing, and often accelerating, political, environmental, and economic change is critical to maintain agricultural systems in California and beyond.