Growing up in Watsonville, a vibrant agricultural community on California's Central Coast, Adamaris Alvarez always knew she wanted to work in agriculture. She worked on her family's berry ranch, Alvarez Farms, where she grew a deep appreciation for the hard work agriculture demands.
But it wasn't until she saw an Instagram post about an internship at UC Merced's Experimental Smart Farm that she realized she could help shape the future of farming.
"It caught my attention. Coming from an agricultural background, I saw myself being able to do those things," she said.
After almost two years of digging into everything ag tech, Alvarez graduated in May - the first in her family to go to college - with a B.S. in environmental sciences.
She believes she has found not only her future, but what lies ahead for her whole industry.
"Ag is always going to be in high demand, no matter what," Alvarez said.
Alvarez joined the Experimental Smart Farm team as a student specialist in October 2023 and took on a range of agricultural responsibilities, quickly becoming a key part of the university's innovative farming effort. She helped plant seeds, transplant seedlings, disc plots and support the construction of a new reservoir and irrigation system, and she learned firsthand how to operate and maintain farm equipment, such as tractors and an autonomous farming robot.
"I would say it's important to be more hands-on than just classroom lectures," said Alvarez. "I learned by doing. For me, it's easier to see and to learn stuff fast if I'm the one in charge of figuring out how to fix it."
Farm leadership took a liking to her, pointing out her willingness to get her hands dirty.
"Adamaris has been fantastic to work with at the farm. As a part of the first-ever cohort of students to work the farm, she has been an integral part of its building," said Danny Royer, Experimental Smart Farm and Greenhouse Coordinator. "Adamaris embodies so much of what motivates me to show up every day - she's eager to learn and willing to roll up her sleeves and do the things that need to be done to facilitate research and student experiences on the farm."
While Alvarez enjoyed the farm work, she said the biggest lessons came from working with a team.
"Teamwork and communication are so important. Everyone needs to be on the same page for the farm to function. You learn how to problem-solve together, not just listen to a lecture," she said.
Alvarez is the first student to complete the F3: Farms, Food, Future AgTEC (Agricultural Technology and Education Collaborative) certificate program at Merced College, simultaneously with finishing her bachelor's degree.
The AgTEC Certificate program equips students with hands-on, practical skills in precision agriculture and modern farm systems. Designed for flexibility and real-world application, the program offers a self-paced format that worked well with Alvarez's busy university schedule.
"It's self-paced and it's flexible, especially for a university student with midterms, finals and all that stress," she said. "There's not a (time) limit to finish the course and that's really helpful."
"The F3 AgTEC certificate serves as a cross-Valley training program, a crucial pathway for current farmworkers, college students, and for the ag industry to adopting more on-farm technology and improving the quality of jobs," said Leigh Bernacchi, executive director of VISTA F3 at UC Merced. "Adamaris brought a lifetime of ag experience, fluency in Spanish and the technical know-how to being a participant-evaluator, improving the program for the thousands to follow and mentoring current participants."
"This work is about honoring the people who feed a nation and have built a lifetime of knowledge in the fields - knowledge that traditional education has too often overlooked," said Karen Aceves, F3 AgTEC regional director. "The F3 AgTEC Certificate doesn't just teach skills. It recognizes them. It builds a real pathway for farm workers to be seen, valued and formally supported in a system that was never originally designed for them. That is what makes this transformative."
Alvarez encourages other students to seek out opportunities beyond the classroom, especially at places like the Smart Farm.
"It will really help you build up a lot of skills," she said. "You're going to have those skills to make your resume look good and it will attract more job opportunities."
As a self-described introvert, Alvarez said her experience as a student specialist and mentor to other ag tech students helped her grow essential communication skills.
"In order to have this farm function the way that we want, everyone here has to be connected in some way and be notified in some way or another," she said.
Alvarez's experience also expanded her appreciation for agricultural research. She's especially excited to watch the farm's upcoming agrivoltaics research project. Agrivoltaics is the combination of growing food near solar panels for energy generation, water savings, reduced plant stress and shade for workers and animals.
"With research like the groundwater recharge reservoir, agrivoltaics and other projects, it helped me see that it's more than just crops," she said.
Graduation isn't the end of Alvarez's agricultural journey; it's just the beginning. This summer, she will launch her ag tech career with Nitricity , a local fertilizer producer, traveling across the Central Coast to conduct soil sampling and strengthening her knowledge of farming practices. Industry relationships through F3 and Nitricity led to the opportunity.
"UC Merced students like Adamaris and research facilities like the Farm are making agriculture an exciting industry to work in," said Bernacchi. "The future of farming is now and it's at UC Merced."
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