Honored with the Pedro Ilic Award for “outstanding farmer” is Darren Schmall, a fourth-generation Madera grower who has made a name for himself nationally as the “Pizza Farmer.”

Schmall earned his moniker by teaching children about agriculture though a pie-shaped demonstration garden that grows pizza — or at least, its  ingredients. He has parlayed his own farming experience and interest in promoting agriculture into three separate but related business ventures.

Schmall operates the Pizza Farm at Cobb Ranch, a 15-acre agritourism venture. He has trademarked the Pizza Farm concept, and licenses other farmers throughout the United States in starting up their own Pizza Farms. Schmall also works as a marketing and agritourism consultant for AgPro Marketing, focused on assisting farmers. He continues to live and work on his family’s 188-acre vineyard.

“Darren’s efforts have encouraged many small producers to get involved in agritourism, which can increase revenues for small farmers,” said Shermain Hardesty, director of the UC Small Farm Program, in presenting the award.

The award for “outstanding educator” was presented to Aziz Baameur, UC small farms advisor headquartered in Santa Clara County. Baameur was nominated for the award by Maria de la Fuente, UC Cooperative Extension Santa Clara County director.

“Aziz brings new creative activities to his extension services, such as the first-ever water quality educational program delivered in Chinese for growers in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties,” Fuente wrote in the nomination. “His contributions are outstanding in training non-English speaking farmers.”

Baameur spearheaded a cooperative effort to organize classes with Cantonese speakers and to create Chinese-language educational materials in order to educate small-scale, ethnic Chinese farmers so they could meet government water quality regulations. An estimated 80 percent of Santa Clara County’s small-scale farmers are ethnic Chinese; before Baameur’s efforts, such mandatory water quality courses were only available in English and Spanish.

Baameur also conducts scientific field research on specialty crops, including colorful carrots, organic blueberries and Asian vegetable varieties. His recent research has focused on field production and consumer appeal of rainbow-colored carrot varieties, in partnership with UCCE nutrition advisor Maria Giovanni.

The awards are named for Fresno County small-scale farm advisor Pedro Ilic, whose untimely death in 1994 prompted the UC Small Farm Program to annually honor those who carry out his legacy of personal commitment to small-scale and family farming. Ilic was one of the original advisors of the Small Farm Program, when it was established in 1979.