The Vivid Picture in SpanishThe Vivid Picture Project launched a Spanish version of the website, www.vividpicture.net/espanol in early June 2004, and it was translated by Juan Carlos Ortega. The website can also be reached by going to www.vividpicture.net and selecting "Espaņol" on the home page. The process of envisioning a sustainable food system for the state of California must involve key players from both the current and future system. Many of those key players are Spanish speakers. In 2000, California's population was 34,043,198, of which 11,082,985 (33%) were of Hispanic origin. In the year 2030, the state's total population is projected to be 48,110,671 with 22,520,629 people (47%) of Hispanic origin, many first generation U.S. residents or citizens. It's easy to see that Spanish will likely be playing a consistently larger role in the future of the states communication. The Vivid Picture sees the process of keeping these important stakeholders informed as key to the success of the project. The vast majority of agricultural workers in the state come from a Hispanic origin and many have Spanish as their sole language. In addition, currently over 9,784 farms in the state have principal operators who are of Hispanic origin. Roots of Change council member Jose Montenegro - Founder and Executive Director of The Center for International Sustainable Development (CIDERS) and former Executive Director of The Rural Development Center - is playing a leading role in building cross-cultural connections within the California food system. Mr. Montenegro and the entire Roots of Change Council are committed to bringing as many different voices to the Vivid Picture as possible. While largely a research project, Vivid Picture findings will be used to create an action plan to help California move towards a sustainable system. Translating the project and its findings to Spanish will play an important role in informing large segments of the California population about the emerging consensus, vision and opportunities. Data sources: State of California, Department of Finance, Population Projections by Race/Ethnicity, Gender and Age for California and Its Counties 2000-2050, Sacramento, California, May 2004. Reported by Ali Edwards, Straus Communications |