Amy Wu - From Farms to Incubators

Praise for From Farms to Incubators

I am very enthusiastic about holding up these stories to inspire others, especially the next generation of women using their STEM backgrounds to make positive impacts in our communities and our world.

Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture

Amy Wu tells the stories of the underestimated women who are the driving force and changing face of agriculture in California. This book will serve as inspiration for the countless minority women who seek to be heard in rural America.

Christine Chavez, granddaughter of Cesar Chavez and farm activist

Finally, theres a book that celebrates the incredible women who will inspire the next generation of fabulous female foodpreneurs.

Gail Becker, Founder and CEO, Caulipower

Amy Wu is a masterful storyteller and voice for the unsung heroes of agriculture today.

Tonya Antle, Cofounder and Executive Vice President of the Organic Produce Network

Amy Wu has written a book that not only celebrates women innovators and entrepreneurs in food and agriculture, but also inspires the next generation of women to follow in their path.

Kara Goldin, Founder and CEO of Hint, Inc., and author of Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters

I have seen young women from around the world coming up with creative solutions to food system challenges. Their approach is refreshing and urgently needed to get rid of polarized thinking. From Farms to Incubators injects inspiration and empowers the next generation of female leaders in the food and agriculture space.

Christine Gould, Founder and CEO of Thought For Food

By telling the stories of amazing women in agtech, like Amy Wu does in this book, we can help to prove that different approaches are to be celebrated and can yield great success.

Louisa Burwood-Taylor, Head of Media and Research for AgFunder

Amy Wu has done a phenomenal job collecting the stories of women founders in agtech. Their creativity, vision, and passion for using technologies to solve some of the biggest challenges that farmers face is something that we celebrate.

Carolyn Leighton, Founder and CEO, Women in Technology International

Amys book of women in agriculture beautifully illustrates the diversity, passion, and commitment of an amazing group of women who are remaking modern agriculture through innovation and sustainable practices.

Mareese Keane, Cofounder, Opengate

From Farms to Incubators not only shines a fascinating spotlight on a growing and evolving industry but is another necessary catalyst for gender equality, providing a platform to the often voiceless and inspiration for the next generation of female leaders in this space.

Juliet Scott-Croxford, CEO, Worth Media

In her book From Farms to Incubators, Amy Wu has captured the stories of agtechs future pioneers. Using their life experiences to inspire others, these women are breaking down barriers while holding onto family values.

Karen Washington, farmer and activist

A farmscape of lettuce in the Salinas Valley, California. Photo courtesy of Dexter Farm.

Women Innovators Revolutionizing How Our Food Is Grown

Amy Wu

From Farms to Incubators

Copyright 2021 by Amy Wu.

All rights reserved.

Images in frontispiece collage courtesy of Trav Williams/Broken Banjo Photography

Published by Craven Street Books

An imprint of Linden Publishing

2006 South Mary Street, Fresno, California 93721

(559) 233-6633 / (800) 345-4447

CravenStreetBooks.com

Craven Street Books and Colophon are trademarks of
Linden Publishing, Inc.

ISBN 978-1-61035-575-9

135798642

Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file.

For Dad.

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Foreword by Lia Huber

A my Wu had been an investigative reporter for twenty years at major media outlets when she got a call from an editor at the Californian asking if shed be interested in moving to Salinas to cover agriculture.

It was 2016, and the agriculture technology (agtech) sector was burgeoning in the region. Agtech ticked several boxes on Amys interest list: business, government, agriculture, and technology. She said yes and headed to the Central Coast from the Central Valley.

But theres a backstory here of a rising tide, brought on by the creative thinkers in Salinas and amplified by Development Counsellors International (DCI). It would become the fodder for Amys future.

Photo courtesy of Lia Huber

Three years earlier, in 2012, economic hardship struck the Salinas Valleyknown mainly as the Salad Bowl of the worldwhen Capital One, the regions main employer, closed its offices and left nearly 900 people out of work.

Salinass city leaders had already been looking to shift the regions economic trajectory, and Capital Ones departure made the case for doing so even more compelling.

Reeling from the loss of one of the citys largest employers, the City of Salinas launched its agtech innovation ecosystem initiative with the threefold aim to attract and support entrepreneurs and start-ups; seed and grow educational and training programs; and rebrand and establish the region as an agtech hub.

City leaders brought together a strategic coalition of stakeholders with vast expertise, such as John Hartnell of Silicon Valleybased consulting firm SVG Partners and Bruce Taylor of Taylor Farms. And they brought in DCI to spearhead rebranding and outreach.

At first, it was an uphill climb. No one had heard of the term agtech, and Salinas didnt have a big research university to give it gravitas. But DCI persevered, and the first big hit came in 2013 when it brought a reporter from the