Mark Bittman meets with UC Berkeley's Jennifer Sowerwine, who studies the cultural and ethnic dimensions of food security among Hmong farmers in the Central Valley. Together, they discuss the challenges facing these micro-farmers, and pick up produce at a Hmong stall at the Berkeley Farmers Market. 

Last year, UC San Diego’s V. ‘Ram’ Ramanathan had an audience with Pope Francis in the parking lot of the Vatican. Ramanathan, who serves on the prestigious Pontifical Academy of Sciences panel, delivered what he calls a ‘parking lot pitch’ to the leader of the Catholic Church. Here, Ramanathan describes this moment and how it may have influenced the Pope’s subsequent position on the matter. 

Venture out into the fields of Salinas with Mark Bittman as he interviews UC Berkeley's Brenda Eskenazi. She leads the CHAMACOS study, which follows children born between 2000-02 and assesses the impact of pesticides and other environmental chemicals (like flame retardants) on their long-term health.