As a celebration of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, CEFS wants to share some stories that highlight the richness, the beauty, and the vital role that Hispanic and Latinx communities play in our shared history, and in food systems work.

Andrea Padilla, NC State Alumni ‘21, BS in Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems

Hi everyone. My name is Andrea Padilla, and I am an NC State Alumni from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. I was born in Mexico City, but my parents decided to move to the United States with the hopes of providing my sisters and me with a more well-rounded life. I arrived as an undocumented immigrant when I was seven years old. Like many undocumented latinos, my family was denied resources to obtain legal documents, most importantly, a driver’s license. My father was deported in 2012 after a traffic stop and arrest for driving without a license. As a result, my mother was left with her three daughters in a helpless situation. Despite this, through my mother’s hard work, I became a US resident and returned to Mexico after 14 years of being unable to see my family. Here, I could reconnect with the most prominent agricultural influence of my life, my great-grandfather, Aristeo. Out of necessity, he farmed on Mexican soil from seven years old to his last year of life at 95. He constantly told me the secret to his health was farming. Reconnecting with my grandfather allowed me to develop a deep admiration for him and introduced me to an authentic experience with agriculture. To see him so healthy and passionate at an old age led me to believe that working with the land is something special.

After my first trip back to Mexico, I returned to the United States and planted my first garden. I planted cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro, basil, and flor de cempasúchil or marigolds. Through the influence of my heritage, I learned to make agua de pepino (cucumber water) with my cucumbers and arroz Mexicano (Mexican rice) with my tomatoes. I also learned of the Marigold’s beautiful history and cultural significance to Mexico. La flor de cempasúchil has great importance to Mexico, from its pest management qualities to its symbolism in honoring our ancestors through Dia de Muertos. Through my emotionally significant experience and reconnection with my great-grandfather, I chose a path toward agriculture and decided to join NC State’s Agroecology program. At NC State, I continued my love of resilient farming and food systems and my appreciation for indigenous agriculture

Cecilia S. Polanco, Program Assistant – Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE)

Saludos! I’m Cecilia S. Polanco, and I work with the Center for Environmental Farming Systems Committee on Racial Equity (CORE) and Food Youth Initiatives (FYI). My family is originally from El Salvador, and we celebrate our independence day right at the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. Fun fact: HHM starts midway through September because it marks the independence day of many Central American countries: El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, with Mexico and Chile soon after.

While I enjoy pupusas all year long through social justice food truck So Good Pupusas, and honor immigrant and diaspora communities through Pupusas for Education, HHM is an annual reminder that we deserve to take up space and be celebrated, too! As the daughter of immigrants, I’ve watched my mother seed, plant, and harvest cilantro, peppers, and banana leaves for cooking our meals since I can remember. My parents tell me stories of cultivating coffee and corn in El Salvador, and when I visit our motherland I get to enjoy limes, coconuts, mangos, and many other blessings from the land.

For a long time, I thought the traditions of working more deeply with the land as we did when we were campesinos wouldn’t be part of my life in the United States. I’d work in an office typing away at a computer and on zoom calls. Which is why when I was placed with the Center for Environmental Farming Systems during a summer fellowship back in 2017, I thought to myself, “wait, I’m not a farmer, I’m not working in agriculture, is this the right place for me?” I realized like I’m sure many of us do, that I’m more closely connected to food systems and the land than I think I am, and like many folks, I’d been disconnected from my relationship with food, the process of nurturing something that nurtures you back, and the patience of growing something that gives life.

Now I see myself in food systems, as a participant in buying and growing food myself and from local farmers, and in the advocacy we need to raise awareness around our environment and the care with which mother nature provides for us, and the work we need to do so food systems are more equitable for everyone. Nurturing our youth’s interest in food systems and environmental justice is also part of my values of looking back 7 generations in gratitude, and looking forward 7 generations for empowerment and sustainability. My Salvadoran American heritage is a big part of who I am; I’m grateful that I get to enjoy all the complexity of identity and celebrate it this fall with everyone!