September Speaker | Liv Fragiacomo : Organic Strawberries - Bio Alternatives to Plastic

Please join us on September 15 for our monthly speaker and social. Diving into the history of plastic mulch use in strawberry agriculture reveals its impacts on the microbial community that lies beneath. From parasitism to symbiosis, there is much nuance to the dynamics of microbes in farming. Exploring the ecology of agricultural soil microbes sheds light on other pertinent issues including climate change, microplastic pollution, and food insecurity. Come explore the rhizosphere of your favorite berry while comparing mulching practices, microbial inoculants, and systems of growing.

FFSC members gather together on the third Tuesday of the month from September through May to catch up, discuss club business, and learn from interesting speakers. Plus, you can bring any fungi you have been lucky enough to find for identification!

Would you like to get to know this month's speaker better? Join us for Dinner with the Speaker at 5pm, prior to this event.

About the Speaker

Liv Fragiacomo has a background in Plant Disease Ecology, studying microbes in forest and agricultural systems at University of California, Santa Cruz. They then went on to complete a Master’s of Science at San José State University, in which they established a strawberry research plot at Veggielution Community Farm in East San José. It was there that Liv explored methods of organic strawberry farming, including applications of arbuscular mycorrhizae and compost tea. They are now the head farmer at an organic farm in the North Bay Area.

Learn more about Liv:

https://foraywithliv.substack.com/

https://www.gcamerica.org/scholarships/scholar/liv-fragiacomo