KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Nestled in the small town of Kelseyville, California, an eight-acre farm offers more than just fresh produce — it tells a story of loss, culture, connection and resilience.
Remagination Farm is led by Dr. Robyn Rodriguez, her husband Joshua Vang, and their nine-year-old son Ezio. The family blends Filipino and Hmong traditions, growing everything from Hmong corn to bitter melon and offering a space for community connection and healing.
"I really wanted to be able to just pass on stories of my parents and my grandparents to my son through the food. It is definitely the way that we connect to family (and) to other communities," Rodriguez said.
The journey to create this farm began after the heartbreaking loss of Rodriguez's eldest son, Amado. During the pandemic, he was in the Philippines, learning from Indigenous communities and helping rebuild after the typhoons. There, he contracted food poisoning, and due to lockdown, he was unable to receive the medical care he needed.
In the face of tragedy, the couple began reevaluating their lives. Rodriguez kept coming back to her eldest son's time in the Philippines.
"The Philippines is known as the natural disaster capital of the world," Rodriguez said. "And Indigenous communities are especially vulnerable, and yet they also possess so much of the knowledge that becomes really important to restoring the land."
In his memory, Rodriguez made the bold decision to leave her successful academic career, including her role as professor and department chair of Asian American Studies at UC Davis, and instead invest in land to pursue farming.
Their farm is rooted in the indigenous knowledge that Amado was steadfastly committed to learning about and preserving, said Rodriguez. During their first season of farming, the couple couldn't believe how many vegetables and fruits they harvested. They found themselves stacking wheelbarrows full of produce, with Rodriguez quickly learning how to make jams and pickles, often inviting friends over to share the fruits of their labor.
Their commitment to integrating their cultural backgrounds with sustainable farming practices is reflected in the variety of crops they grow, as well as the goats they raise to fertilize the soil.
"So much of what we grow is also rooted in being (in) California and being embedded in really diverse and multiracial family and friendship and kin networks," Rodriguez said.
This commitment extends beyond agriculture, with a small store on the farm inspired by Filipino “sari-sari” shops and a performance space for local community events.
Ezio, inspired by his parents’ healing mission, also plays a vital role, offering farm tours and even healing sessions to visitors. His unique touch underscores the message of the farm: interconnection.
“This farm isn’t just about food,” Robyn said. “It’s about connecting with our roots, passing on stories through the food we grow and coming together as a community.”
Reimagination Farm sees itself as a "learning center," hosting demonstrations to showcase how to live a more ecologically sound kind of lifestyle. In many ways, it is a living tribute to Amado’s legacy, continuing his mission of bringing people together to learn, grow, heal and create lasting change.
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