Fresno State students create pesticide safety videos in Hmong language

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno State students are using their skills to help a unique group of growers.

For farmers, keeping food fresh is no easy task and for workers in the Hmong community trying to follow pesticide regulations, the lack of resources in their language posed a problem.

"We have a big Hmong community in the Valley," said Fresno State graduate Mali Lee. "A lot of the families, they are farmers too, and being able to understand what they're using, and their crops is important."

Mali is a recent multimedia graduate from Fresno State. She comes from a family of farmers and knows the importance of having the proper resources in your native language.

"It's the language, the culture, and if everything is in English and you don't speak the language, you don't understand what it's about," explained Michael Yang, education specialist with UC Extension.

Mali, along with a team of Fresno State students and staff, worked for over a year to make a series of Hmong language agricultural safety training videos explaining pesticide handling, personal protection equipment, and reporting requirements.

"The pesticide effects, not just the customers, but also the people that are spraying it and using it," Lee explained.

The project took over a year with students logging over 700 hours of work, but the nine-part series is already proving to be a valuable asset to farmers in the Central Valley.

The video series will also be used by UC Extension Workshops, agricultural outreach agencies, and area media.