CRAE Governance
Revised February 2012
Who We Are
The California Roundtable on Agriculture and the Environment (CRAE) is an alliance of agricultural, environmental, regulatory and social justice leaders seeking to promote an
agriculture and food sector that is economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible. By “economically viable,” we mean agriculture that is long lasting and widely profitable. By “environmentally sound,” we mean the production, transport and consumption of food and fiber in such a way that protects human and ecosystem health. By “socially responsible,” we mean contributing to the needs of the community, including farm families and employees, protecting consumer and worker health and safety, and supporting state, regional and local agriculture in the marketplace. We believe that the agriculture sector, consumers, policy makers, and public interest organizations must all play a critical role in achieving these objectives.
Regulatory agency partners and technical experts participate as advisors to Roundtable deliberations and activities but do not participate in the final determination of consensus
decisions. All members channel information back to their agencies or organizations, creating better understanding among environmental and agricultural interests to strengthen our commitment to cooperation and collaboration. Roundtable participants strive to educate each other about agricultural and environmental issues, identify shared interests and
advocate in support of the groupʼs common goals and principles.
Activities
Since Fall 2004, the California Roundtable on Agriculture and the Environment has been building consensus between agriculture and environmental interests on key issues
impacting the food system. CRAE works primarily at the policy level, providing information and perspective to state and federal legislators and regulators. CRAE also convenes for information sharing and discussion to ensure that decisions made by the group are based on sound science and policy.
To date, CRAE has addressed a wide range of topics related to California agriculture. Some of these subjects include:
- promoting Farm Bill reform,
- working with the University of California to address the research needs of agriculture and the environment,
- exploring ways to use third-party certification of farms as a way to improve environmental performance and create regulatory incentives on farms,
- developing a proactive response to food safety issues that protects human health and the environment,
- preserving agricultural land in California,
- support for AgJobs, and
- protecting agricultural production and environmental resources from invasive pests.
Meetings
The CRAE membership meets 6 times a year—roughly every 2 months. CRAE working groups are established on select priority topics. Working groups, which develop proposals and content for CRAE action on these topics, meet by phone or in person on an as-needed basis.
Each year, one of the CRAE meetings will be dedicated to bringing together top leadership from member organizations to help establish a common agenda and CRAE priorities, and to ensure organizational alignment with the work of CRAE.
Download the complete, 6-page CRAE Charter (pdf).