{"id":23531,"date":"2026-01-23T01:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T09:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calclimateag.org\/calcan-stewardship-council-profile-miguel-garcia\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T10:38:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:38:33","slug":"calcan-stewardship-council-profile-miguel-garcia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calclimateag.org\/es\/calcan-stewardship-council-profile-miguel-garcia\/","title":{"rendered":"CalCAN Stewardship Council Profile: Miguel Garcia"},"content":{"rendered":"

This profile is part of an ongoing series that introduces members of CalCAN\u2019s newly formed Stewardship Council. The Stewardship Council serves as advisors on our long-term goals, ensuring that our work remains aligned with our vision and mission.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Council Member Snapshot<\/div>
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Name: Miguel Garcia<\/p>\n

Location: Napa County<\/p>\n

Years in Field: 10+<\/p>\n

Areas of Practice: Soil health, irrigation efficiency, bilingual technical assistance<\/p>\n

In Their Words: \u201cTalk to as many people as you can. Talk to other farmers, talk to TA providers, talk to your local and state politicians. Talk to everybody, to share your story, but also to hear other people’s stories.\u201d<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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CC: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your connection to agriculture, food systems and land stewardship.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MG: I am currently the Sustainable Agricultural Program Manager at the Napa Resource Conservation District. We work directly with farmers to assess soil health and irrigation management and develop strategies to help them improve the use of their resources. We also do a lot of bilingual education in Spanish. Here in Napa, 99% of our farm worker labor force is Hispanic, mostly from Mexico. We want to make sure that those who spend the most time out in the fields are also receiving the same information. I\u2019ve worked in Napa for 7 years and before that worked in the Coachella Valley for three years. Outside of my day job, I also do private consulting. I go all over California providing bilingual educational workshops to local nonprofits and UC Cooperative Extension, which I really enjoy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CC: How did you first learn about CalCAN?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MG: When I was about to graduate, I was collaborating with the Coachella RCD on irrigation management work. The SWEEP program was in its beginning stages, and CalCAN\u2019s Policy Director Brian Shobe reached out to me to get some feedback on the program. The whole Coachella region was going through a transition \u2013 they were going to receive less water from the Colorado River and we were supporting producers switching to drip irrigation. After that, I attended the biennial CalCAN conference at UC Davis as a panel on water conservation. At the conference, I met someone from UC Cooperative Extension who invited me to do a bilingual training for farmers in the Central Valley. My consulting work started there, and one connection just led to another. Brian and I have stayed in touch since then to touch base on SWEEP and water conservation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CC: What drew you to serve on the CalCAN Stewardship Council?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MG: I honestly just believe in the mission. I think that this is very important work, and if there\u2019s anything I can do to contribute to that mission, I am honored and humbled to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Irrigation management workshop with vineyard farmworkers<\/strong>
Leading an irrigation management workshop with vineyard farmworkers in Napa, focusing on efficient water use, system maintenance, and practical field applications.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

CC: What perspectives or lived experiences do you bring to the Stewardship Council?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MG: I spend a lot of time with farmers and I\u2019ve worked all over the state. I feel like I\u2019ve gotten a chance to see a lot of what\u2019s going on in California. As a TA provider, I see how CalCAN\u2019s policies and programs impact farmers. I also work directly with the Spanish-speaking community. I hope that I can provide some guidance for CalCAN\u2019s work to meet the needs of the Spanish-speaking community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CC: What motivates you to keep doing this work, especially when it\u2019s challenging?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MG: I think it\u2019s very important work that needs to be done. I started my career as an environmental scientist because I wanted to leave this planet a little bit better than I found it. I quickly realized that agriculture is one of the biggest environmental challenges for the planet. By working with the farming community, there\u2019s this double value, the opportunity to support producers and the environment at the same time. We\u2019re helping people thrive. In California, where there\u2019s a lot of Hispanic farmers\u2026 they\u2019re my community as well. So I feel like I\u2019m giving back to the community. Ultimately, I\u2019m not special or unique. I\u2019m just one more. But one more does help. So I\u2019d like to think that I\u2019m making some minor but significant contribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CC: What is your advice to the next generations of farmers, farm workers, and land stewards?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MG: Talk to as many people as you can. Talk to other farmers, talk to TA providers, talk to your local and state politicians. Talk to everybody, to share your story, but also to hear other people\u2019s stories. That\u2019s my greatest challenge. I want farmers to realize that there\u2019s people and organizations that want to support them. It can be vulnerable to share your story and open up your farm for people to just see. It\u2019s intimidating, but it can be extremely helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CC: What gives you hope about the future of climate smart agriculture in California?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MG: Organizations like CalCAN and partners where I see passionate people fighting the fight. It\u2019s not an easy fight but there\u2019s a lot of very passionate people not ready to give up. When I see that, I don\u2019t want to give up either. As crazy as things sometimes look, I do believe in humans. There\u2019s a lot of people that care and want to make a difference. <\/p>\n\n\n