Sikh Temple Collaboration Booth with UC ANR, NRCS & Sutter RCD

We were excited to have an outreach booth before this year's annual Sikh Festival – one of the largest Sikh gatherings outside of India drawing over 100,000 people to the area. Since the 1970's, when East Indian's were coming to Yuba City they were farmers looking for soil that could grow anything they wanted. Secondly, they wanted a place where they could raise their families. At this year's festival many of them in attendance are now 2^nd and 3^rd generation farmers and ranchers to the Yuba- Sutter area.

The Sikh Festival is held in Yuba City at the Teirra Buena Sikh Temple. This year marked the 45th annual Sikh Parade. This parade, along with the Nagar Kirtan Festival, takes place each year over a three-day span. It's a beloved annual tradition that has been celebrated for decades to honor the Sikh community's cultural heritage and religious values. Originally starting as a small gathering, the parade has grown into one of the largest Sikh events in North America, drawing over one-hundred thousand participants and visitors from across the nation to the Yuba- Sutter area. The festival is a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together, with the Parade as the main event.

During the Sikh Temple festival, outside and all around the Temple there were hundreds of volunteers there with an assortment of food, martial arts demonstrations, and participants in ceremonial dress. There was also a fantastic fireworks display in the evening that could be seen from miles away.

A few local organizations were invited to share resources and outreach materials at the event including UC ANR, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Sutter Resource Conservation District (RCD). As a representative of UC ANR, I collaborated with the participating organizations to educate farmers and ranchers in the Sikh community about implementing sustainability practices and building on-farm climate resilience. The goal of our joint booth was to empower local farmers and the broader East Indian community with the tools needed to adapt to climate change. We shared educational flyers, provided technical assistance resources, and facilitated discussions on participating in climate smart agriculture programs.

We met farmers and ranchers and answered their questions about upcoming grants and other funding opportunities. Specifically, we provided information to producers about CDFA's climate smart agriculture incentive programs include the Healthy Soils Program (HSP) and the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP). Many farmers we spoke to were interested in learning more about our services and signed up to receive technical assistance. It was interesting to have discovered that many farmers today who are currently farming, also have full time jobs.

The success of the event was a testament to the growing collaboration between the community, agriculture, and conservation organizations, reflecting our shared commitment to both cultural celebration and environmental stewardship. We learned that at the Sikh Temple, there is Langar, or the Sikh community kitchen which provides a free meal service year-round and is open to everyone in the community. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful resource in our community.

Collaboration Links:

NRCS – https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/california

Sutter RCD – https://sutterrcd.specialdistrict.org/

UC ANR Climate Smart Agriculture Program – https://ciwr.ucanr.edu/Programs/ClimateSmartAg/TechnicalAssistanceProviders/