About us
Semillero de Ideas centers farmworkers as the leaders of innovation in agriculture. We create safe spaces for farmworkers to share their knowledge, experience and insights about how to address issues from workplace challenges to climate change.
Our story
At Semillero de Ideas, we were founded on a simple yet powerful truth: farmworkers hold the key to innovative solutions for the future of agriculture. Our journey began with our co-founder, Josefina Luciano, an experienced farmworker and innovator. Concerned about the technology set out to replace farmworkers without considering the impact on rural communities, Josefina set out to ask farmworkers themselves what they thought about the technologies coming into the fields. What began as a question about technology quickly evolved into something deeper. Josefina pivoted, asking farmworkers instead, “What ideas do you have to improve your work?”
Through this shift, she gained the trust of her community, and farmworkers began to share their invaluable insights on everything from harvest practices to production methods, and from personal tools they had created to systemic changes.
Farmworker ideas, often overlooked, are transforming the way we approach agricultural innovation, proving that the answers to many challenges lie in the hands of those who work in the fields every day. As the saying goes, “closer to the problem, closer to the solution”.
This approach inspired Josefina and co-founder Erik Nicholson to launch an iterative process focused on how we could actively engage farmworkers in the conversation around innovation in agriculture.
As a result, Semillero developed our annual innovation challenge, which invites farmworkers to submit their ideas aimed at improving production processes, quality of work life, and environmental sustainability in agriculture. Each year, we receive dozens of innovative ideas from farmworkers in Washington and Mexico, with the ultimate goal of helping these ideas reach the market and make meaningful impact.
With team members in both Washington and Mexico, our organization is dedicated to engaging farmworkers, seeking new ways to position them as the driving force behind innovation in agriculture in a way that recognizes and compensates them for the ideas they bring to the table.
Our Vision
Farmworkers are recognized as the leaders of agricultural innovation
Our Mision
To bring agricultural workers together in community to foster innovation that improves the quality of work, strengthens local communities and creates value for innovators.
Our values
Equity. Participation without barriers, innovators reap the rewards of their innovative ideas.
Co-creation. All parts of the ecosystem have value. We recognize the need to be inclusive to incorporate multiple skills that allow us to learn, solve, and innovate together.
Trust: Foster self confidence and a trusting community.Trust-Foster self. confidence and a trusting community.
Audacity. We learn without fear of making mistakes and are open to experiencing new things
Agricultural Employers: farmworkers can be an important part of the solution, We support producers by organizing innovation challenges amongst other workplace interventions (think hackathons) to generate impactful ideas to address workplace challenges. Farmworker consultants (yes, farmworkers with the demonstrated ability to consult) are also available to work with you. Let us know how we can support you.
This is important
If you are a farmworker and would like to connect with our outreach team
