SDSU receives funding to train Latinx and Indigenous students for sustainable food and agriculture careers 

Funding comes from a USDA grant

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture granted the San Diego State University $5 million that will help support hands-on research and field study on both sides of the border.

Students will get to learn with food scientists, Indigenous plant experts, climate change biologists, and water resource professionals, as well as interdisciplinary coursework in sustainable food futures.

The grant will also support students by allowing paid internships over the summer to ensure that they will have the time to devote to the research at the foundation of their careers.  

“They get these internships paid for so that they can actually feel that they can go and invest in themselves at the same time that they’re learning so the programs range from Urban dessert, food products that you can take out to communities almost like a rotating farmers market,” said Professor Dr. Ramona L. Pérez. 

Pérez said all majors are welcome but they are looking for students who are interested in career opportunities in the fields of food security, regenerative agriculture, and nutrition.  

Now, San Diego State University has a public health major which will allow students in the Imperial Valley to participate in interning in Baja California as well as indigenous communities on the southern side of the border 

For more information, you can contact Pérez on her site at https://anthropology.sdsu.edu/people/perez.