Semillero de Ideas, a nonprofit that aims to help farmworkers capitalize on their skills and experience, has launched a consultant service.
The group, based in the Tri-Cities, Washington, offers trained farmworkers who will provide consultation with growers who want to solve practical problems, such as ladder use or fruit handling, on Northwest specialty crop farms, according to a news release.
The service aims to leverage the ground-level work experience that seasoned farmworkers have, which specialists in viticulture or horticulture may not, said Erik Nicholson, executive director of Semillero de Ideas.
“At Semillero de Ideas, we see farmworkers as knowledge workers,” Nicholson said. “Unfortunately, there are few to no opportunities currently to bring this knowledge into the production process.”
The consultants have been trained under a multi-week course developed and led by the Equitable Food Initiative.
“I have more than five years of experience in agriculture under the H-2A program, working in the harvest of different varieties of apples and pears, as well as supervising work crews,” said Josue Damian Granados, one of Semillero de Ideas’ consultants. “My hands-on field experience, combined with technical knowledge and scientific methodology, allows me to offer realistic solutions.”
Semillero de Ideas launched the consultancy program with input from Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, which has agreed to publicize the program in the association’s newsletters.
For more information, contact Erik Nicholson by email at: erik@semilleroideas.org or by phone at: 509-578-6475. •
