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San Mateo Food System Alliance

The San Mateo County Food System Alliance has been breaking ground for the Food System Alliance movement since its formation in November 2006. As the first Food System Alliance in California, the group has sought to bring together all the parts of the San Mateo County food system into a cohesive group capable of creating an ever healthier and more vibrant local food economy.

Throughout 2007 the group worked hard to hear and understand the very different perspectives on food and farming in the County from the views of “coast-side” farmers and fishermen to “bay-side” community service workers struggling against poverty and obesity. This is the first Alliance in California to seat both the County’s Agricultural Commissioner and its Public Health Officer, creating an unprecedented opportunity to link local food production to healthy citizens.

SMFSA members at Pie Ranch in Fall 2010. In its first year of operation the group developed its constitution and implemented an effort to get San Mateo County’s Mayor to sign-on an appeal for US Farm Bill Reform. As the group enters its 2nd full year of operation it has set three areas where it wants to focus its efforts:

The San Mateo FSA is a new model for how citizens can get involved with making the County a great place to live, work, and eat for everyone.

Alliance Accomplishments for 2011

  • SMFSA has three committees: Farm to Institution, Land Use, and the newly formed Policy Committee
  • San Mateo participated in the National Food Day event and focused on highlighting fish-friendly farming practices, as well as a panel with various stakeholders discussing Alliance initiatives.
  • The San Mateo Alliance was recognized by the County Board of Supervisors and they formally endorsed the efforts of the Alliance to improve access to locally, sustainably produced, and healthy food in San Mateo County.
  • The San Mateo Food System Alliance (SMFSA) began a Farm-to-School pilot with two school districts.
  • The Farm-to-Institution Committee hosted a seminar in March for educators, youth and parents who want to increase their consumption of locally grown produce.
  • The Alliance has translated their goals into a policy brief for local cities on inclusion of policies favorable to local production agriculture, and will be distributed to local officials in the coming months.
  • Received primary funding for a feasibility study for local aggregation and distribution on coast-side produce to bay-side urban residents and institutions.