In January, Vice President Glenda Humiston joined California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross in Mexico City to launch the first Binational Agricultural Working Group, which brings together experts to address challenges facing farming communities in California and Mexico – from agricultural technology to water issues to farm labor.
Representatives from Mexico’s Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation and the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development joined the effort, marking an important first step toward deeper collaboration.
“It was an honor to join Secretary Ross and Secretary Julio Berdegué Sacristán of Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as we identified research priorities for mutually beneficial future collaborations,” Humiston said. “Our thanks to the Mexican Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation; University of California Alianza MX; and the Berkeley Food Institute at UC Berkeley for hosting these productive meetings.”
While she was in Mexico, Humiston joined Samuel Sandoval Solis, UC Cooperative Extension specialist, and UC Davis agave researcher Yessica Fernandez to tour a traditional maguey (agave) production system in the community of Coatepec.
The group walked through the maguey fields to learn firsthand about regenerative agave management practices in Mexico and explore the multiple potential uses of agave – from traditional products to innovative, sustainable value chains.
Through strategic, cross-border collaboration, the Binational Agricultural Working Group aims to exchange knowledge between Mexico and California, connecting ancestral practices with science-based research to make agriculture more sustainable and resilient in both regions.