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Rachael Callahan is currently California’s Statewide Agritourism Coordinator focused on the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program through UC Davis. Originally from Delaware, Rachael stumbled into sustainable agriculture from her graduate studies and has focused on local and regional food systems. She spent time in Belize working on a demonstration agroforestry farm looking at and modeling indigenous land stewardship and farming. She then spent time in Nantucket working for a non profit focused on bolstering the local food economy. She eventually moved to Washington DC to work on an urban farm. Her experiences working in very different and unique communities aligned with her education allowed her to expand her scope of work and take on a challenging role as statewide agritourism opportunity in California.

In her role, Rachael provides training to farmers and ranchers interested in diversifying their income via agritourism. She examines trends, impacts, challenges, and barriers and identifies solutions. She also focuses on capacity and network building by connecting farmers throughout the state. Rachael is constantly inspired by the resilience, determination, creativity and innovation of California’s agricultural producers and is very grateful for being in a role that supports them. Enjoy my conversation with Rachael Callahan.

Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program
Agritourism in California
Maya Mountain Research Farm, Belize

The Global Agritourism Network (GAN) was created to support agritourism worldwide through education, research, and advocacy. Everyone with an interest in agritourism is welcome to join for free by completing the form online at Global Agritourism Network (GAN) Registration (google.com).

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

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Before she turned 10 years old, she already knew all about zucchini, white eggplant, garlic scapes, heirloom tomatoes, how to tell basil vs. mint vs. oregano, when to plant garlic, and what to pair lavender honey with. My daughter Anna just turned 20-years old in September 2024 and is pursuing a college major in Economics and minor in Sustainability. She also just finished a summer of 70 hour workweeks and an amazing internship with Moka Origins.

Our very first podcast episode was with one of the founders of Moka Origins, Jeff Abella. Moka Origins is working to make cacao and coffee a sustainable source of income for farmers around the world. 165 million people depend on cacao or coffee for their livelihood, however many aren’t paid a living wage and are stuck in poverty. To end this poverty cycle, Moka Origins pays more to farmers for their beans which they use to craft healthier, better tasting chocolate and coffee.

Moka offers Origin Adventures…incredible adventures to connect people with their global cacao and coffee sourcing partners. My daughter Anna had the opportunity to spend a week at the Moka Origins headquarters in Honesdale, PA and to participate in their Origin Adventure in Mexico. In our podcast episode with Jeff Abella, we took a deep dive into all his current origin adventures, but Anna took us a bit deeper and we explored details about her personal experiences on her trip to Mexico.

Hearing about this trip through the eyes and inspiration of a 20-year old, is a unique perspective and one that I truly enjoyed. I am really excited for everyone to virtually meet my daughter Anna and very humbled to have the opportunity to interview her so early in her career journey. Maybe one day when she has advanced in her career path, she will reflect fondly on this interview. Enjoy my conversation with Anna Morrongiello.

Cocoa Economy - Crisis or Opportunity?
Moka Origin Mexico Adventure Trip
Riding the Donkey to the Organic Cacao Farm in DR
Women Chocolate Makers Breaking Boundaries in DR
Agri-Tourist Podcast Episode 1 - Jeff Abella, Moka Origins

The Global Agritourism Network (GAN) was created to support agritourism worldwide through education, research, and advocacy. Everyone with an interest in agritourism is welcome to join for free by completing the form online at Global Agritourism Network (GAN) Registration (google.com).

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

Send us a text

Laurelee Blanchard, Founder and President of Leilani Farm Sanctuary, and author of “Finding Paradise”, left a lucrative career at a Commercial Real Estate Firm to devote her life to animal protection and humane education. In 1999, she cashed out her life savings and moved from Orange County, California, to Hawaii to the island of Maui. Laurelee acquired an eight-acre parcel of land, on which she created a farm sanctuary—a refuge where animals would be protected from neglect, abuse, and slaughter.

Leilani Farm Sanctuary is a non-profit organization, home to nearly three hundred rescued animals. They include goats, chickens, rabbits, ducks, a donkey, geese, deer, cats, pigs, sheep, turkeys, guinea pigs and tortoises. The Sanctuary provides educational programs for school groups and special-needs visitors and offers tours and humane education to the general public. They now host weddings at this majestic sanctuary in Maui. What better way to start a life with someone special…by giving back and supporting animals from neglect, abuse and slaughter.

I want to add that I read Laurelee’s book Finding Paradise after I did this interview. Laurelee overcame so many intense personal and financial struggles to maintain and keep her animals at the sanctuary. She gave everything of herself to stay aligned with her mission and to help these animals thrive. During our conversation many of these struggles were not evident in the way that her book discusses them so I highly recommend you read her book. I am humbled by Laurelee and all that she stands for…. She is humanely human.

Leilani Farm Sanctuary
Finding Paradise Book

The Global Agritourism Network (GAN) was created to support agritourism worldwide through education, research, and advocacy. Everyone with an interest in agritourism is welcome to join for free by completing the form online at Global Agritourism Network (GAN) Registration (google.com).

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network