As the daughter of farmworkers, Esmeralda Soria has always understood the importance of California’s farming community. Today, she uses her role as District 27 Assemblywoman and Chair of the Ag Committee to advocate for farms, farmers and farmworkers across the state. 

California is a beautiful patchwork of fields, orchards and immigrants – and that’s where Esmeralda’s story begins. Her grandfather came to California under the Bracero Program during World War II, and her father followed soon after. Esmeralda credits her grandfather with helping her to understand the importance of civic engagement. Esmeralda recalls that after becoming a naturalized citizen in the 1990s, her grandfather could embrace a more active role as an American citizen, “It was his first time voting in the 1990s – I was about 10 years old. That moment taught me the importance of being civically engaged and making a difference in my community. So after college, I got involved in politics. I worked for a senator, where I got the opportunity to learn about the importance of public policy and how someone in elected office can actually impact the laws that are made.”

A few years later, Esmeralda moved back to Fresno, where she would return to agricultural roots. She was first elected to the Fresno City Council in 2015, then seven years later – including a stint as Fresno’s first Latina City Council president – Esmeralda was elected to represent local farmers and farmworkers as Assemblywoman for District 27. District 27 includes Fresno, Madera and Merced counties, three of the state’s top agricultural producers. Esmeralda is honored to represent agriculture, stating, “The agricultural sector really gave my family a livelihood. That connection has always been important to me because it has defined who I am as an individual.”

What is the Agriculture Committee

In 2023, Esmeralda was appointed Assembly Chair of the Agriculture Committee. This position is incredibly important, as the committee reviews, amends and recommends legislation that will affect farmers throughout the state. Esmeralda explains, “The Ag Committee gets an opportunity to review policies that will impact the agricultural sector. And so every legislative session, we have an opportunity to see dozens of bills that come through our committee. We analyze them and see if they will help our agricultural community. The other thing that we do through the Agriculture Committee is we host a series of informational hearings, setting an agenda to elevate and highlight issues that are important to the agriculture community.” 

California agriculture: feeding the nation…and the world

Representing part of the Central Valley in California’s Assembly and serving as Chair of the Agriculture Committee is a huge responsibility. Esmeralda’s work directly affects the livelihood of countless family farms, dairies and ranches – not just across the Central Valley but throughout the state. Esmeralda states, “California’s role in food production is so important. Not only do we feed the nation, but we feed the entire world. We provide billions of dollars to our state economy and to our local communities. Fresno, Madera, and Merced counties are ag-producing counties. These counties rely heavily on the agricultural sector and the thousands and thousands of jobs it provides in our region.”

2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer

Women are involved in all aspects of California agriculture – from the fields to the processing facilities and even in the State Assembly. Esmeralda proudly states, “In California, over two-thirds of farms are operated by women, and 38% of producers are women. Women are vital to the success of this industry. I believe that it’s important to highlight women in these roles so that it allows other young women who may have never thought about themselves being in agriculture to become a farmer, an operator, an owner, and be in this industry and be successful.”

“Agricultural workers are the backbone of our agriculture industry.”

Emeralda is passionate about the need for immigration reform. While her grandfather was able to come to California under the Bracero Program, her father who arrived a few years later, could find no legal path to citizenship. Esmeralda argues, “Our agricultural workers are the backbone of our agriculture industry. Without the workers, our agricultural industry would not be as successful as it is today. The last immigration reform happened 40 years ago under Ronald Reagan. As a result, over 80% of our farm workers are undocumented today.”

People may not realize that immigration issues don’t solely affect farmworkers; they spill over to society as a whole. Esmeralda explains, “In our current environment and with the type of immigration enforcement that is occurring, we are seeing labor shortages impacting our local communities. Those shortages will impact the affordability of the food that we can buy today in the grocery stores and into the future.”

She concludes, “What I wish people knew about agriculture is all of the work that it takes. All of the people, the water, to produce the food that ends up at the grocery store. It does not just magically appear.”

Giving back to the agricultural community

Circling back to her personal experience, she states, “My father made his way to the Central Valley to come and work undocumented in the fields because he wanted to provide his family with a better life and a better opportunity. I will say that myself and my four other siblings have done just that. We’ve learned the power of working hard. Grit, resiliency – which we learned by working in the fields.

And today we’re giving back to the same community that gave us the opportunity through ag. To be able to be in leadership and make our communities a better place for all the families that live in our region.”

Learn more about the people who feed the world…

Did you know that October is Farmer and Farmworker Month? Check out a few of our favorite ways to recognize and say thanks to the folks who put food on our tables!

2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Here in the Golden State, women are essential to every step of the food and farming system. They manage orchards, run businesses, lead sustainability efforts, and keep multi-generational farms thriving.

Article by Hilary Rance. Photography by James Collier.