PROGRAMS :: Community Food Systems / Economic Options for Family Farmers

Purpose

The Community Food Systems program connects consumers to food producers providing information, access and education through practical, community driven projects.

• Expanding market options for family farmers
• Educating communities about the power they have to make food choices that support local farmers
• Developing viable alternative opportunities to support a just and sustainable food and farming system
• Improving access to locally produced food for under served communities.

Projects

Farm-to-School - South Coast, Central Coast, San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento Valley, North Coast

• Farm-to-school brings local food and farming into school cafeterias and classrooms, teaching future generations about the cycles of life from seed to table. It provides student nutrition services access to the very freshest products available in their region. Direct market sales benefit local farms while exposing young palates to new flavors and food choices. Connecting students' daily activities to food and farming helps develop an appreciation of local agriculture while teaching healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
• CAFF'S work includes:
• Direct market development
• Farm visits for kids
• Classroom visits from farmers
• Student Nutrition Services and adult education
• Grower networks that serve local markets
• Distribution channels
• Garden-based learning

Buy Fresh, Buy Local - Central Coast, Sacramento Valley, Bay Area

• Through Buy Local campaigns consumers access information where they want it most: in the marketplace. Buy Fresh, Buy Local! provides point of purchase information in stores, markets and restaurants, allowing shoppers to make informed decisions about their purchases by identifying them as locally produced. It advertises member farmers and retailers, distinguishing them as sources for local food. Media campaigns are accompanied by educational outreach efforts explaining concepts like the food ethic, food security and other community issues in the food system.
• Point-of-purchase information and advertising
• Community-wide publicity efforts
• Educational campaigns helping people understand the limitations of a corporate controlled consolidated food system and opportunities to support change
• Online Local Food Guide

California Growers Collaborative - South Coast, Sacramento Valley, Fresno, Central Coast

The Growers Collaborative sells local fruits and vegetables from family farms to public and private grade schools, colleges, hospitals, and corporate cafeterias. By aggregating product from farms that are too small to work with conventional distributors, the Growers Collaborative removes a significant marketing barrier for independent family farms across the state. Currently, the Growers Collaborative serves growers and institutions in Ventura, Greater Los Angeles, the Central Coast, and the Sacramento Valley.

Contact:
Kristen Schroer

Program Manager

(530) 756-8518 x39

kristen@caff.org