Federal cuts threaten Arizona's small farm 'Silicon Valley'

As federal funding for programs supporting small family farms faces abrupt cuts, Arizona growers and advocates warn of a ripple effect that could shrink access to fresh, local food and threaten the viability of innovative agricultural operations. Rodney Machokoto, owner of Machokoto Family Farms in Phoenix, has spent years transforming ways to grow fresh varieties of veggies at their small, thriving farm, experimenting with crops like Armenian cucumbers that thrive in Arizona’s harsh climate with little water.