Agriculture

From the latest technological advances in agriculture, to more sustainable farming methods, to the relationship between small food producers and the local communities they serve, TVi has your agricultural technical visits covered.

Specialized Irrigation System and Recycled Water Use

Community-Supported Agriculture

TVi was asked to arrange multiple technical visits for a delegation of state assemblymen from Japan. One request was particularly challenging… to arrange a farm visit near Los Angeles to study the use of a specialized irrigation system known as center pivot irrigation and how the system utilizes IoT (“Internet of Things”) technology. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the delegation would be arriving in Los Angeles at 10:00 am and only had that same afternoon available for the appointment. TVi was able to quickly identify an appropriate farm and arranged for both a representative from the farm and a Department Engineer from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts to provide a detailed explanation about center pivot irrigation and its use of recycled water.
 
     1.   Name of Group:          Chiba Prefectural Assembly
     2.  Size of Group:              19 + 1 interpreter
     3.  Time:                           3:30 PM
     4.  Host:                            Van Dam Farms
     5.  To Meet:                      – Farm Owner
                                              – Sr. Engineer, L.A. Co Sanitation Districts
     6.  Contents:                     – Overview of Center Pivot Irrigation System 
                                              – Use of Recycled Water
                                              – Q&A Session

A recent popular trend in local farming is community-supported agriculture. Also known as “cropsharing,” community-supported agriculture is a system that connects the producer and consumers within the food system more closely by allowing the consumer to subscribe to the harvest of a certain farm or group of farms. A delegation of town officials from Japan were interested in this trend and requested a technical visit to a community-supported farm in the Bay Area.  Technical Visits International successfully arranged a visit to Frog Hollow Farm, which included an overview and tour of the farm itself, as well as a detailed introduction to community-supported agriculture here in the United States.

     1.   Name of Group:          Rokkasho Village Assembly
     2.  Size of Group:              18 + 1 interpreter
     3.  Time:                           10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
     4.  Host:                             Frog Hollow Farm
     5.  To Meet:                      Community-Supported Ag Manager 
     6.  Contents:                      – Overview and tour of Frog Hollow Farm
                                               – Discussion and Q&A Session