"Putting Down Roots"

 Asian roots in Fresno, CA, small farming operations are essential for climate-resilient food production.  Asian American growers practiced regenerative agriculture with their strong ecological knowledge and community-based farming systems.  Facing hardships to rebuilding farms from war implemented displacement, migration.  Additionally facing exclusion from racism and land dispossession returning from internment camps. Pinpoints the Hmong, Amerasian and other Asian groups following their ecological practices that contradict US narratives separating them from legitimate contributing farmers. These farmers instituted their homeland farming knowledge of intercropping, terracing along with seed saving knowledge. Racism pushed farmers onto marginal lands limiting produce to informal markets. Through these barriers they developed water-efficient practices developing specialty organic produce. Using these successful practices they still remain invisible to policy discussions about local food and sustainable agriculture and regenerative farming.  It presents farming as cultural survival and not purely economic growth

Carlisle mandates the real need for generational farming wisdom of these contributing groups that have been historically excluded from the US agricultural decision making and recognition of the group's contributions,