As the statewide Farmland Navigator, Silvia works with BIPOC farmers as a coach, advocate and resource finder throughout their journey to get on land.

Silvia’s desire to see a more just food system has led her to work for nonprofits that dedicate their work to supporting small family farmers. Silvia strongly believes that one of the key components to achieving a more equitable and sustainable food system is advocating for the success of our local farmers. As a former co-owner of Nature’s Fountain Farm in Albany, she is fully aware of the many struggles and barriers small farmers face daily to do the work they feel passionate about.

Her deep love of local food systems comes from her experiences as a child growing up in Mexico with parents who cultivated the land out of love for growing food and taking care of the land, but mostly out of necessity to provide food for their family. The wonderful memories of enjoying a melon right off the vine or a ripe fruit off the tree, the magical tasty dishes her mother would produce with fresh ingredients gathered from the fields, was an experience like no other. Silvia immigrated to the U.S. in her teens and her childhood inspired her to pursue farming later in life in order to provide her family with the experience of having access to fresh delicious food like she did growing up.

Silvia’s experience as a farmer, local food advocate and farmer business coach within the Latinx community makes her a great asset to the Oregon Farm Link team.