Small Farms and Groundwater Policy in CA
“The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act talks about six undesirable results or what we need to avoid, and we are introducing a seventh one—The widespread loss of small farms.
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“If a million acres were fallowed and it was not done strategically, you would see increases in Valley Fever. You would see increases in dust. You would see huge impacts on people’s health.
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A conversation with Ngodoo Atume (University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program) and Judith Redmond (Full Belly Farm) about California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and its impacts on small, family farms in the state. Released October 2, 2026.
guests on the show
Ngodoo Atume
Ngodoo Atume is the SGMA Technical Assistance for Small Farms Academic Coordinator at the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. In this role, she is coordinating a technical assistance and extension education program to provide small-scale farmers in California with technical information, services, policy analysis and recommendations needed to engage in the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Ngodoo is interested in the equitable consideration and protection of groundwater users in California. Ngodoo has a technical background in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria and an MS in Sustainable Water Management from Tufts University.
Judith Redmond
Judith Redmond is a co-founder of Full Belly Farm, a highly respected 400-acre certified organic farm in California's Capay Valley. For over three decades, she has been a leading advocate for sustainable agriculture, farm labor justice, and equitable natural resource management. Her work focuses on groundwater advocacy and reform, where she champions the needs of small-scale family farms facing climate and regulatory challenges. Judith dedicates a lot of time participating and coordinating activities to empower the next generation of leadership. Judith serves several community organizations as a volunteer, including the California Climate and Agriculture Network and the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Scientific Advisory Panel on Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture. She is the chair of her local Capay Valley Fire Department Board of Commissioners and is on the leadership team of the Capay Valley Emergency Response Auxiliary.
TRANSCRIPT
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