Joshua Yuen-Schat

My Atayal name is Xilan and my Chinese name is 陳顏書亞. I’m Indigenous Taiwanese from the Atayal tribe in 拉拉山，上巴陵. I’m originally from Taiwan, my immediate family immigrated to Hawai’i when I was nine years old. My maternal grandfather was the first person to introduce white peaches to Taiwan, and he was also the first to farm and cultivate them. From working in the fields to packaging and delivering products directly to consumers in the city, I have been immersed in small-family agriculture systems since I was a child. Experiencing my grandfather’s dedication to supporting the economic and social well-being of rural mountainous Indigenous communities through peaches inspired me to study both environmentalism and sustainable food systems. 

My upbringing and heritage are the foundation of my passion for equity in the food system. I graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, Masters of the Environment program in 2021, where I studied sustainable food systems and since then have worked with local & national food & farm-based organizations including Boulder County Farmers Market, SAME Cafe, National Farm to School Network, The Spicy Radish, Boulder Valley School District – Food Services, and Frontline Farming.