Wednesday, March 26th
Tour Date & Time: Wednesday, March 26th 9:00am-4:30pm
We’re thrilled to again offer the East Bay Urban Foodscape Tour in partnership with Bay Area Green Tours—an unforgettable journey through some of the most inspiring food justice and sustainability initiatives in the Bay Area! Hop aboard for a full day of discovery, connection and access to groundbreaking urban farms & social enterprises. The tour price includes round-trip transportation from the Residence Inn Berkeley, expert guides for the day, knowledgeable speakers, and a delicious lunch.
Tour Highlights
- Planting Justice Mother Farm – Explore a thriving ecosystem where formerly incarcerated individuals gain the skills to cultivate food sovereignty, economic justice, and healing.
- Urban Adamah – Immerse yourself in a vibrant farm-based community weaving together Jewish tradition, mindfulness, and sustainable agriculture to create a more just and connected world.
- UC Gill Tract Community Farm – Witness a pioneering model of urban farming that is redefining food justice, research, and equitable food distribution.
- Sogorea Te’ Land Trust – Experience the incredible work of this Indigenous women-led land trust as they restore Indigenous land and stewardship practices.
Join us for this transformational pre-conference tour—a chance to see real solutions in action and connect with the changemakers building a more just and sustainable future.
Reserve your seat today.
Note: A separate $189 fee is required for this event.
March 26th | 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Thursday, March 27th
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, the founder of the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance and co-founder of Tree-Range Farms, grew up in Guatemala where chickens thrive in multi-story jungles. In this session, Reginaldo will explain how his regenerative model shows that chickens don’t have to live inhumanely in confinement. At Tree-Range Farms, they are raised in a managed ecosystem of an 8000 fruit and nut tree orchard that mimics their natural environment. Together the nonprofit and for-profit businesses he founded have created an economic “ecosystem” that includes more than 40 farms that are enhancing ecosystems while sequestering substantial amounts of carbon.
March 27th | 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm | Golden Bear Room, Hotel Shattuck Plaza
Panelists
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin
Co-Founder | Tree-Range Farms
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, co-founder and CEO of Tree-Range® Farms, a pioneer of the “Poultry-Centered Regenerative Agriculture System,” founder of the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, and owner of Salvatierra Farms LLC, a 63-acre regenerative poultry farm in Northfield, MN, is an award-winning agroecology innovator who began working on economic development in Guatemala in 1988, then moved to the US and founded Peace Coffee, a Minnesota-based fair-trade coffee company, in 1995.
Almost immediately following the 2022 introduction of ChatGPT, torrents of articles and news reports unleashed a gamut of responses to a new thing called “generative AI.” The barrage of narratives was contradictory, often sensationalistic, and far from elucidating. In this session, four leading proponents for the careful analysis of radical new technologies will share their expertise and perspectives on this incredibly important and urgent topic. Author and podcaster of “Tech Won’t Save Us,” Paris Marx will discuss how Silicon Valley’s AI obsession is accelerating the push to build hyperscale data centers around the world, which have an insatiable appetite for immoral volumes of energy, water, and resources, and why recent developments from China’s DeepSeek won’t change that. Argentinian anthropologist Soledad Vogliano will explore why having nontransparent “black box” AI determining the management of our food systems and biodiversity is a bad idea. Author, journalist and lawyer Claire Cummings will talk about why AI, like biotechnology, will never be meaningfully regulated and why that matters. And author and co-founder of the Tech Critics Network, Koohan Paik-Mander (who will also host/moderate) will speak about how the plan to deploy AI in government and industry will require an immense national, democracy-killing surveillance/extraction infrastructure.
March 27th | 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm | Freight & Salvage
Panelists
Claire Hope Cummings
Lawyer, Journalist and Author
Claire Hope Cummings is a lawyer, journalist, and author of Uncertain Peril, an award-winning critique of biotechnology and a vision for the future of food and farming. Her work has been widely featured in print, films, public radio and television, and, as a lawyer, she has represented a number of traditional Indigenous groups in defense of their sacred places. Her current work focuses on the complex relationships among natural and cultural systems and spirituality.
Paris Marx
Host | Tech Won't Save Us podcast
Paris Marx, a tech critic and host of the “Tech Won’t Save Us” podcast, also writes the Disconnect newsletter and is the author of Road to Nowhere: What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong about the Future of Transportation. His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks internationally about the politics of technology.
Koohan Paik-Mander
Co-Founder | Tech Critics Network
Koohan Paik-Mander, a journalist, author and peace and environmental activist, is a co-founder of the Tech Critics Network and serves on the board of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. Her articles appear in The Nation, The Progressive, Foreign Policy in Focus, and other publications. Her article “Whales Will Save the World’s Climate — Unless the Military Destroys Them First” was named by Project Censored as one of the top 25 censored stories of 2021-2022. She is also co-author of The Superferry Chronicles: Hawaii’s Uprising Against Militarism, Commercialism and the Desecration of the Earth.
Soledad Vogliano
Program Manager | ETC Group
Soledad Vogliano is an Argentina-based Program Manager at the ETC Group, a small international research and action collective committed to social and environmental justice, human rights and the defense of the web of life. For the last 4 years, she has been developing ETC’s program on Digitalization, coordinating capacity building and strategic outreach locally and internationally. Before ETC, Soledad worked for years with Ecuadorian Indigenous and peasant movements on the defense of territories, biodiversity and rights. Also passionate about agroecological education, she has developed several initiatives for local food production and community-led communications.
Chocolate is a pleasure, but the cultivation and harvest of the cacao bean is hard, skilled labor, a labor most often undervalued by an international commodity market that rewards middle-men and end producers while exploiting the cacao growers of Africa, South America and the Caribbean. In this session, Gillian Goddard, founder of the Chocolate Rebellion, will describe how she has helped bring economic equity to small growers in Trinidad and Africa by developing a network of value-added chocolate enterprises. She will be joined by Laura Ann Sweitzer, Director of Sustainability and Strategic Sourcing at TCHO, a Berkeley-based, organic, Fair Trade, certified B-corporation that produces a full line of quality chocolates and invests in the communities where cacao is grown by partnering directly with technicians and scientists worldwide and paying premiums to farmers to create better quality cacao. Moderated by Arty Mangan, Director of the Bioneers Restorative Food Systems program.
March 27th | 4:45 pm to 6:00 pm | Golden Bear Room, Hotel Shattuck Plaza
Panelists
Laura Ann Sweitzer
Director of Sustainability and Strategic Sourcing | TCHO Chocolate
Laura Ann Sweitzer, who grew up on a farm in the Midwest and is passionate about sustainability, equity, and flavor in food, is Director of Sustainability and Strategic Sourcing at TCHO Chocolate, a Berkeley-headquartered Fair Trade, B Corp certified company, where she manages “TCHO Source,” the firm’s unique program for addressing challenges in the cocoa supply chain, working directly with farmers, cooperatives and scientists in Africa and South America. Prior to joining TCHO in 2014, Sweitzer spent 5 years working on coffee quality improvement projects in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Gillian Goddard
Founder | The Chocolate Rebellion
Gillian Goddard, a community organizer and chocolate-maker, founded the Alliance of Rural Communities, a non-profit focused on “circular economy” principles, regenerative farming, and sustainable rural livelihood creation, in 2014. In 2021, she founded the Cross Atlantic Chocolate Collective, which unites farming communities from Africa, the Caribbean, North America, the UK and Europe. Goddard’s work seeks not only to enhance the wellbeing of rural populations, but to explore complex issues around power, decolonization and emancipation in grassroots, commercial, and academic spaces.
Arty Mangan
Restorative Food Systems Director | Bioneers
Arty Mangan, Director of the Bioneers Restorative Food Systems program, worked as farm worker and local food entrepreneur. He has also worked with Indigenous farmers growing traditional crops and with Black farmers developing ecological agricultural trainings. His current focus is on the intersection of climate and regenerative agriculture. Mangan is a former board president of the Ecological Farming Association.
A love affair with chocolate has many wonderful benefits: it’s heart healthy, it elevates one’s mood, and some studies even suggest that it can promote capillary growth and increase energy, but most of all it is its rich, intense flavor that keeps us coming back for more. No wonder it has been called the “Food of the Gods.” The cacao tree grows near the Equator and is particularly expressive of its “terroir.” Flavors that range from fudge to floral are expressed depending on which region in Africa, the Caribbean or South America it’s grown. In this interactive experience, we’ll learn a lot about chocolate and get to sample a delicious range of chocolate flavors at a chocolate-tasting hosted by expert chocolate maker Gillian Goddard who has started chocolate micro-enterprises in 12 countries in Africa and the Caribbean.
There is limited space for this event, and pre-registration is required to participate, including a $20 fee. Please add to your conference registration if interested.
March 27th | 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm | Ashby Room, Residence Inn
Panelists
Gillian Goddard
Founder | The Chocolate Rebellion
Gillian Goddard, a community organizer and chocolate-maker, founded the Alliance of Rural Communities, a non-profit focused on “circular economy” principles, regenerative farming, and sustainable rural livelihood creation, in 2014. In 2021, she founded the Cross Atlantic Chocolate Collective, which unites farming communities from Africa, the Caribbean, North America, the UK and Europe. Goddard’s work seeks not only to enhance the wellbeing of rural populations, but to explore complex issues around power, decolonization and emancipation in grassroots, commercial, and academic spaces.
Friday, March 28th
This 15-minute pilot episode of the upcoming documentary series From Soil to Soul delves into the heart of food justice and community-led food sovereignty initiatives in Los Angeles, highlighting case studies, including a community garden in Compton, a food forest in a former abandoned alleyway in Fullerton, and the planting of native edible and medicinal plants in lawns for local food resilience.
The From Soil to Soul series will present powerful stories of Black, Indigenous and People of Color farmers, regenerative practitioners, food activists, thought leaders and communities reclaiming their right to control their food systems and transforming their relationships with food, land, and each other.
The From Soil to Soul co-founders, Ankur Shah, Margaret To and Jahnavi Mange, along with producer Rachel Allen and cinematographer Eldon Arena, will be on hand to introduce the film. (Running time: 15 minutes)
March 28th | 8:35 pm to 9:00 pm | Goldman Theater, Brower Center
Introduced by
Ankur Shah
Co-Founder | From Soil to Soul Documentary Series
Ankur Shah, born in Mumbai where he witnessed food insecurity and pollution firsthand, is a geospatial data scientist using satellite data to assess climate hazards and environmental issues and is the Director of Operations at Mycelium, where he has designed sustainable food systems and taught workshops on food resilience. Currently studying biomimicry at Arizona State University, Ankur is also co-founder of the From Soil to Soul documentary series, the pilot episode of which, Food Justice in LA, is being shown at Bioneers this year.
Margaret To
Co-Founder | From Soil to Soul Documentary Series
Margaret To, a Los Angeles-based multimedia artist and filmmaker, is the founder of Studio SAKA, a creative studio dedicated to social impact and climate education, and co-leads the LA Chapter of Climate Designers, hosting community events and curating climate resources, jobs, and volunteer opportunities for the LA community. She is a co-founder of the From Soil to Soul documentary series, the pilot episode of which, Food Justice in LA, is being shown at Bioneers this year.
Jahnavi Mange
Co-Founder | From Soil to Soul Documentary Series
Jahnavi Mange, a San Jose-based climate and social justice activist with expertise in sustainability, regenerative strategies, permaculture, and community-building, has worked with a number of grassroots organizations, local governments and global corporations to drive equity and environmental impact. Jahnavi is a co-founder of the From Soil to Soul documentary series, the pilot episode of which, Food Justice in LA, is being shown at Bioneers this year.
Rachel Allen
Producer | From Soil to Soul Documentary Series
Rachel Allen, MFA, a recovering advertising executive passionate about triple-bottom-line filmmaking, has produced such award-winning projects as 'Wish Upon A Disco Ball' and ‘BIPOCalypse,' with notable screen credits including 'Amend: The Fight for America' and 'Promising Young Woman.' With a background in design, storytelling, and literary management, Rachel is dedicated to creating media that uplifts underrepresented communities, fosters environmental consciousness, and inspires positive social change. She is the producer of the From Soil to Soul documentary series, the pilot episode of which, Food Justice in LA, is being shown at Bioneers this year.
Eldon Arena
Cinematographer | From Soil to Soul Documentary Series
Eldon Arena, a Los Angeles-based Filipino cinematographer and editor, co-founded Studio SAKA, a creative studio dedicated to social impact and climate education, and has led film projects with organizations such as LA Compost and Off Their Plate. An expert in cinema cameras and an experienced drone and FPV pilot, he is passionate about crafting meaningful stories. Eldon is the cinematographer of the From Soil to Soul documentary series, the pilot episode of which, Food Justice in LA, is being shown at Bioneers this year.
This powerful film by award-winning documentary filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell and their company, Big Picture Ranch, fuses journalistic exposé with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of movements fighting for healthy and equitable food systems to unveil the dark webs of money, power, and politics behind our toxic, destructive, and dysfunctional agriculture. The film, which features many past speakers at Bioneers, reveals how unjust practices forged our current system in which farmers of all backgrounds are literally dying to feed us and profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, Black, and Indigenous farmers who are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America’s economy…before it’s too late. (Running time: 105 minutes)
March 28th | 9:05 pm to 10:30 pm | Goldman Theater, Brower Center
