Adiella Kessler- 4th Year, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

"UC Davis Student Farm Mobile Farmstand Project"

For Adiella Kessler’s Green Fellowship project, she is collaborating with the Student farm to build a mobile farmstand, consisting of a wooden wagon with tiered shelves to display produce, an area to complete transactions, and a retractable canvas roof. Adiella’s goals for the project include using the mobile farmstand to increase food access, improve the efficiency of the Market Garden, better allocate Market Garden resources, enhance farmstand marketing, and boost UC Davis community involvement at the Student Farm. Adiella is excited to use the mobile farmstand to bring healthy, affordable produce to UC Davis students and community members. The project includes the mobile farmstand design process, collaboration with food access community partners, building the farmstand, implementing plans for continued use of the farmstand in the future, and utilizing the farmstand to sell and distribute produce through the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and on campus. 

Adiella Kessler is currently a fourth-year undergraduate majoring in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems with a concentration in Food and Society. She is also minoring in Landscape Restoration. Adiella is from El Cerrito, CA. where she spent her time gardening and landscaping before coming to UC Davis. Adiella is passionate about equitable food systems, food justice, and urban agriculture. She intends to pursue a career in sustainable agriculture after college. It is Adiella’s third year as a Lead Student Farmer at the Student Farm Market Garden. Adiella’s responsibilities in this role include serving as the CSA lead, managing large groups of interns and volunteers, and working in all aspects of organic crop production. When Adiella is not farming she is dancing with Vision Dance Troupe and volunteering as a camp counselor with Camp Kesem at UC Davis. 

Emmanuel Momoh- PhD Candidate, Geography Graduate Group 

"African Food Basket Project-UC Davis Student Farm" 

Emmanuel is a PhD candidate in the Geography Graduate Group, a two-time fellow of the Sustainable Living and Learning Communities’ Green fellowship, and a Professors for the Future fellow at the University of California, Davis. He holds a master’s degree in Geography with a specialization in Environmental Resource Management and a bachelor’s degree in Geography and Planning. Emmanuel arrived in the United States from Nigeria in 2021 to pursue his graduate studies. He has been actively involved in the Environment, Land, and Food Systems (ELFS) lab at UC Davis, where he has contributed to various projects, including an evaluation of general plans implemented by Californian cities. The evaluation specifically focused on how these plans address issues pertaining to food and agriculture. Furthermore, Emmanuel works with the UC Davis Center for Regional Change. This team currently collaborates with the Yolo County Basic Income (YOBI) program to assess the impact of the YOBI program on the livelihoods of participants.

Broadly, Emmanuel’s work is focused on sustainable food systems. For his Green Fellowship, Emmanuel will be continuing his work with the student farm on the African Food Basket Project (AFBP). Over the past year, the AFBP has significantly enhanced food security and cultural connectivity for African international students and the African Diaspora in the Davis area. The project has successfully provided culturally relevant foods that are often difficult to access, such as ugwu (fluted pumpkin), efo-shoko (Lagos spinach), amarants, and traditional ewedu, bringing a taste of home to students far from their native countries. The AFBP has also become a vibrant hub for community and cultural exchange, evidenced by events like the African Food Potluck and Okra-Chili Cook-off, which saw participation from over a hundred individuals, including UC Davis Chancellor Gary May and his wife, LeShelle. These gatherings are more than just food events; they are a celebration of cultural diversity, providing a space for students from various African nations to interact with the broader UC Davis community, thereby promoting inclusivity and understanding. The project has also served as an educational platform, offering students and volunteers hands-on experience in sustainable farming practices and agroecological principles. For the coming year, Emmanuel hopes to build upon these achievements to broader the impact of the AFBP.