News on Regional Food Systems

School Food Workshop, May 17

The Sonoma County Food System Alliance is co-hosting the second school food workshop on May 17 from 2:00 – 5:00pm.

San Mateo Food System Alliance Accomplishments in 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.

Panel Discussions Focus on Local Consumption

Jan. 2012. The year-long Farm to Fork series came to a successful conclusion on January 25 and 26 with panel discussions at the Santa Maria and Santa Barbara public libraries. This fourth installment of Farm to Fork series, entitled Closing the Loop, focused on the role of consumers in supporting local farmers, ranchers and other producers. Panelists included Gerri French, Nutritionist and Diabetes Educator at Sansum Medical Clinic; Melissa Gomez, Manager at Goodland Kitchen; Jaime Herrera, Executive Chef at UCSB Dining Commons; Liz Powell, Director of Food Services at Santa Maria Bonita School District; and Clark Staub, Owner at Full of Life Flatbread.

Grist Covers Ag Innovations Network and the James Beard Food Conference

Oct. 2011. Thanks to Kerry Trueman of Grist for her coverage of the recent James Beard Foundation Food Conference facilitated by Ag Innovations Network’s president, Joseph McIntyre. Her article is a good read.

Sonoma FSA Hosts Successful School Food Workshop for Food Day

Oct. 2011 Sonoma County FSA hosted a free School Food Workshop on October 25 for Food Day, which provided a review of best practices, networking opportunities with local farmers.

Farm Forum Praises Sonoma County FSA

Sept. 2011 Sonoma’s 3rd Farm Forum featured more than a dozen speakers on various aspects of the food system. Praises were sung for the Sonoma County Food System Alliance among other efforts within the county. Click to read the Press Democrat article (pdf).

Sonoma FSA Members Present to Windsor Town Council

Sept. 2011 Alliance members Jana Hill and Wendy Krupnick presented the outcomes of the Sonoma County Food Forum to the City of Windsor’s Town Council on Wednesday, September 21. The presentation also included an update about other food system work going on in the county. After a successful presentation to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisor on August 9, Sonoma County FSA members are eager to reach out to individual municipalities and towns in the county about the Food Forum recommendations outlined in the report, and how every community can adapt and use them.

UCD Report on CSA in CA

August 2011 The Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis just released a comprehensive portrait of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California’s Central Valley, including farm and farmer characteristics, farm-member relationships, economic viability, and information sources and farmers’ advice for starting CSA farmers. Download the report (pdf).

UCS Report on Regional Food Systems

August 2011 This month, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released the report Market Forces: Creating Jobs through Public Investment in Local and Regional Food Systems. This analysis of the growth, economic benefits, and challenges to expansion of local and regional food systems comes at a time when Ag Innovations Network’s California Food System Alliance Network is making similar strides on the topic.

Sonoma FSA Presents Food Forum Report to BOS

Aug. 2011 The Sonoma County Food System Alliance presented their Food Forum report to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on August 9.

School Food Service Survey Reports Interest in Local Produce

Aug. 2011 The Farm-to-Institution Committee of the Sonoma County FSA released the School Food Service Produce report on August 8. The document reports the results of a survey of Sonoma County school food service leaders, and indicates that 84% of schools are interested in purchasing local produce directly from a grower or from their distributor. While cost was cited as the biggest barrier to purchasing local produce for school lunches, there is enthusiasm among both food service departments and their parent/student population for seasonal fruits and veggies on the menu. Download the report for more details.

Sonoma County FSA Releases the Community Food System Assessment

July 2011 As eaters, we all have a stake in the health of our food system. A new report from the Sonoma County FSA points out that the many other reasons to care about what’s happening in this area of our community.

Context Matters: Visioning a Food Hub in Yolo and Solano Counties

June 2011 The students from a UC Davis graduate seminar in Food System Analysis recently completed an assessment of the local food system for the Yolo Ag and Food Alliance.

Yolo Regional Food Forum Report Released

Feb. 2011 The report from Yolo County’s July 2010 Regional Food Forum has been published.

Sonoma County Food Forum a Huge Success

Feb. 2011 Over 300 people participated in Sonoma County’s largest ever gathering of people interested in a better food system.