CSUMB student represents U.S. at G7 meeting in Italy

By Mark Muckenfuss

For many young people, a first trip to Europe is a chance to take in the sights, explore some history and perhaps engage with its many cultures.

For Crystal Salazar-Nieto, it was an opportunity to speak to government leaders from around the globe about her experience in agriculture.

Salazar-Nieto, a third-year agricultural plant and soil science major at Cal State Monterey Bay, was one of four students representing the United States at the recent Group of Seven Ministers’ Meeting on Agriculture in Siracusa, Italy. The three-day event, Sept. 26 - 28, brought together participants from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. The American contingent had the opportunity to meet Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at a reception. 

Salazar-Nieto was part of a group of students who tackled the issue of youth in agriculture in the Global South. They presented their recommendations to the full conference on the final day. This is the first time the ministers’ meeting had included a contingent of youth representatives. 

“It was pretty eye-opening, to say the least,” Salazar-Nieto said of the event. “It was amazing. It was such a good experience.”

Her involvement in the international conference came from her attendance at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 100th annual Outlook Forum in Washington, D.C., held in February as part of the NextGen program. She was surprised to have Professor Jose Pablo Dundore-Arias forward her an invitation to attend that event, she said, but jumped at the opportunity.

At that conference, Salazar-Nieto shared her experience as a first-generation college student from a family with a deep connection to agriculture. Her immigrant parents worked in the fields when she was young. The family established its own business, Salazar Organic Farms, in 2019.

Although she lived an agricultural life, Salazar-Nieto never really considered pursuing a career in the field until she was in high school. Through an honors biology class, she developed her own field research project on soil nutrients in the Elkhorn Slough. It opened her eyes to the science behind agriculture. At the same time, she was learning more about farming while helping her father build his business. 

“When it came time for college I was looking into different things and soil science captured my attention,” she said. “It was nice to be learning what is going on in the field with the science behind it and how that works.”

At the Washington conference, her story impressed USDA officials. They invited her to the ministers’ meeting in Italy to be part of the Agri-Youth Hackathon. 

Dundore-Arias called having a CSUMB representative from the Agricultural Plant and Soil Science program as one of only three U.S. students invited to the conference “a tremendous honor.”

“Crystal embodies the transformative impact of our AGPS program and the social mobility that a CSUMB education provides,” he said. “Being part of discussions that explored solutions for resilient, equitable and sustainable food systems broadened her horizons about future opportunities while enhancing her global competence and leadership. It also positioned CSUMB as a key player in training the next generation of agricultural leaders.”

The youth ambassadors were split into three groups, each tackling a different subject over two days of meetings with other attendees. She said her group of about 30 included students, young farmers and professors. 

“The recommendation we shared was that they should provide young farmers, specifically those who have lack of access to financial services, with economic support,” she said. “The International community should provide financing and education for young farmers. There's always going to be a need for financial support and somebody to guide them, like a financial advisor.”

They also recommended helping to establish cooperatives where farmers could share equipment and resources. The group said such support would help lead to sustainable practices. 

If she was disappointed in anything, it was the lack of time fully explore the area and immerse herself in the local culture. 

“We did go to a castle one night for dinner,” she said. “And we got to try a lot of food. We got to see Mount Etna as we were going to airport. I’d never seen a volcano before. But mostly it was work.”

Salazar-Nieto said she is grateful for the mentorship she’s enjoyed at CSUMB, especially Dundore-Arias encouraging her to attend the initial event in the nation’s capital.  

The G7 experience has inspired her to consider the possibility of graduate school, she said. 

“I’m definitely looking into pursing higher education,” she said, “definitely something related to agroecology or sustainable farming, with a continued focus on soil science. I kept getting confused as a master’s or a PhD student at the event. Maybe that’s a sign.” 

Salazar-Nieto’s participation in the G7 was supported by the NextGen Program from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.