While a group of global leaders gathered at UC Merced on Friday for a private event about investments in AgTech, over a dozen farmworkers and UC Merced students protested the idea that machines could replace human workers. Protesters held signs that said "Our soil is not their science experiment," and some wore fruit costumes. They hoped to change the conversation around investments in agricultural technology.
"They intend to bring in machinery to do the work," said a Madera-based farmworker, Emelia Guzman, in Spanish. "We are asking them not to do that, but rather to let the people continue working, and to give opportunities to those who work in the fields."
Guzman, a member of the Central California Environmental Justice Network, said she's seen fewer work opportunities after technology started picking up on farms. She also worries about the environmental impacts of the machinery.
The Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development teamed up with the regionally economic-driven coalition North Valley Thrive to convene the private event, which took place over the course of two days. It featured site visits to Merced College's AgTech innovation center and UC Merced's Agricultural Smart Farm, as well as AgTech companies operating in California.
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