Nikiko Masumoto

yonsei / 4th generation farmer + artist + cultural organizer
 

Nikiko is a yonsei (4th generation) farmer at the Masumoto Family Farm. Though she grew up on her family’s peach farm, she came to farming herself through a journey that included a B.A. in Gender and Women’s Studies at UC Berkeley and a MA in Performance as Public Practice at UT Austin. In an agricultural world where 86% of farmers are men, most landowners are white, and few are queer, she employs art and creativity to access her power as an organic farmer. An emphasis on creating deeply engaging and transformative experiences has fueled her work on the farm and in her community. She’s co-authored two books: The Perfect Peach (a cookbook) and Changing Season. You can catch a slice of her performance work in a TEDx talk from 2015. She’s also the co-founder of Yonsei Memory Project which creates inter-generational spaces for ‘memory keeping’ within the Japanese American community and in alliance with other communities and movements for justice and healing.

Dr. Marcy Masumoto & Korio Masumoto

project coordinator & field leader

Marcy: As co-owner of Masumoto Family Farm for over 40 years, Marcy Masumoto has been responsible for the selection of peach varieties, and the development of recipes and peach products. She is actively involved with management, communications, event planning, and seasonal fieldwork. Every summer, she hand-packs specialty peaches, nectarines and apricots with Nikiko and Korio. She grew up on a family goat dairy and learned how to cook, bake and preserve foods at an early age.  Over the years, Marcy has cooked with many varieties of peaches and nectarines, perfecting recipes and methods of working with fresh, tree-ripened peaches and nectarines. A collection of her and Nikiko’s recipes are available in book form in The Perfect Peach: Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm (Ten Speed Press, June, 2013).  See Marcy’s recipes at this link.

Off the farm, Marcy was honored as 2023 Top Dog Alumna for the Kremen School of Education and Human Development at Fresno State University. She has worked in the health and education fields, first starting as a nutrition advisor and advancing through management and leadership positions in public and nonprofit organizations. She currently works as an Education and Community Engagement consultant. Her most recent employment (2005-15) was as Project Director at the Welty Center for Educational Policy and Leadership at Fresno State University, focusing on improving education in Central and rural California. December 1, 2012, Marcy began her first term as a Trustee on the board of the Sanger Unified School District where she served for 6 years, and moved over to the Fresno County Board of Education in 2018. She is in her second term on the Fresno County Board of Education and is active in one county and two state-wide school board organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public health education with a minor in nutrition from Loma Linda University, a master’s degree in Community Development from UC Davis, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from UC Davis and CSU Fresno. Read about her doctoral research.

KORIO: Korio is a graduate student at California State University, Fresno, working on a certificate in Gerontology.  He has a BA degree in Sociology from Fresno State and certificate of completion in the Humanics Program. His favorite part of school is meeting new people and socializing.  He has learned to appreciate and support cultural diversity beyond is own multi-faceted identities. Korio has always helped on the farm, especially during the summer.  In his free time, Korio volunteers at Vintage Gardens Assisted Living facility in Fresno. He is known to be the family jokester and is passionate about equity, community, and volunteerism.