Elisabeth Silva is a retired Deputy District Attorney, currently in private practice. For nearly 20 years, she served as the Agriculture Crimes Prosecutor for the County of San Diego. She prosecuted all manner of agricultural crimes, from armed and unarmed theft of plants and equipment to nuisance allegations resolved by the California Right to Farm law. During her career Ms. Silva was a member of the California Rural Crimes Task Force, taught courses in agricultural crime to law enforcement throughout the state, helped develop a statewide pilot program for dealing with agricultural safety issues during a state of emergency, and has given public talks and participated in community forums on issues involving agriculture and the law. She is a proud graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership program, Class 41. She was on the initial planning committee for for the Farm Bureau’s Friends of Farming program. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Ag Leadership Alumni Council and the North County Bar Association. Ms. Silva firmly believes that learning about farming and growing food is crucial for the continued health of the nation. Furthermore, children will not consider a career in agriculture if they do not know such careers are available to them, and people will not support policies to assist farmers without some idea of what it takes to produce their food. SDAITC helps build this awareness. Exposing our children to food gardens at a very early age and making them aware of what their region produces is an important step towards building a vibrant American future.
