For Idara Phillips, farming is both heritage and love—a way to honor her ancestors while building something new with her family. She was born and raised in San Jose, CA and comes from a long line of farmers and ranchers; her father farmed in Mississippi, while her mother’s family ranched in Oklahoma. Now, she and her family still own farmland today.

Starting as a young child she spent every summer with her family in the South. Some of her fondest childhood memories are of summers spent running from one relative’s farm to another in Mississippi, helping her uncle on his pig ranch, gardening and tending chickens with her grandmother, or exploring the forests with her cousins. Those summers, along with growing up on an urban farm at home, planted a deep love for animals, nature, and farm life in her. From a young age, she knew the only thing she wanted in life was to farm. Eventually, she joined California’s 4-H program, studying agriculture and raising livestock . For 10+ years she competed in youth agricultural events, showing  pigs, sheep, and other livestock.  These experiences taught her about community, hard work, and the responsibility that comes with farming. 

While agriculture shaped her roots, business shaped her career. Idara studied agricultural business in college before earning a BA in Business Administration from the National Hispanic University and a Master of Science in Accounting from Saint Mary’s College of California. For the past 30 years, Idara has built a career working as an accountant, auditor, tax preparer, and business consultant. She has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs across multiple industries, helping their businesses grow and develop.

Idara’s life came full circle when she and her family moved to the Sacramento area to pursue her lifelong dream of farm ownership. In 2020, in the middle of COVID, she purchased her farm, Zankofa Farm, in Wilton, CA. Living in a farming community, she witnessed firsthand how much farmers were struggling. True to her nature, she stepped up and began offering free business advising to local farmers to help them access funds, stay open, and strengthen their operations. At the same time, she began making her dream farm a reality. The name ‘Zankofa’ reflects the principle of Sankofa, an African word meaning “go back and fetch it”—to carry wisdom from the past into the future. Today, Idara, her husband, and their six children (ages 2 to 25) raise pigs, sheep, goats, poultry, small animals, and specialty produce on their farm.  Her children are also members of Sacramento County 4-H where they now raise livestock, with Idara volunteering as a 4-H project leader. 

Today, Idara brings the Sankofa principle into everything she does. By returning to her roots and carrying forward the agricultural knowledge of her ancestors, she hopes to create a brighter future for her children, her community, and the farmers she serves. She brings that same spirit into her work. Blending her love of farming, her passion for animals, and her decades of business expertise to help farmers build strong, sustainable futures businesses.