2008
Factors Associated with Deregistration Among Organic Farmers in California by Luis Sierra, Karen Klonsky, Ron Strochlic, Sonja Brodt and Richard Molinar (33 pages)
With funding from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) and in collaboration with University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), CIRS conducted a survey of California growers that have discontinued registration with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Organic Program. The research findings shed light on the main challenges affecting organic growers and reasons for discontinuing organic farming. This research comes as a follow-up to previous research assessing factors associated with adoption or non-adoption of organic farming practices, based on in-depth interviews with over 70 conventional, mixed and deregistered growers.
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2007
Clearing the Air: Mitigating the Impact of Dairies on Fresno County's Air Quality and Public Health by Lisa Kresge and Ron Strochlic (18 pages)
Fresno County suffers from some of the worst air quality in the United States. The health-related costs of poor air quality in Fresno County are estimated at $1.7 billion per year. In addition to automobiles, electricity generation and other sources of pollution, Fresno's large agricultural base also contributes to poor air quality. Dairies are responsible for some of the most harmful emissions in Fresno County, including smog-forming volatile organic compounds (VOC) and toxins such as ammonia, which are associated with harmful particulate pollution. This report, commissioned by the Fresno Healthy Dairy Commission, describes the impacts of the dairy sector on air quality in Fresno County, and outlines a number of cost-effective mechanisms that can reduce dairy emissions in Fresno County while maintaining the economic viability of that important sector.
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A Workforce Action Plan for Farm Labor in California: Towards a More Sustainable Food System
(English Version) by Martha Guzman, David Runsten, Ron Strochlic, Joaquin Garza, Joseph McIntyre, and Nicole Mason (27 pages)
Plan de Acción de la Fuerza Laboral Agrícola en California: Hacia un Sistema Alimentario Más Sostenible (Spanish Version) by Martha Guzman, David Runsten, Ron Strochlic, Joaquin Garza, Joseph McIntyre, and Nicole Mason (32 pages)
An essential, yet often overlooked, component of a more sustainable food system is the ability to provide food system workers - the individuals that produce, harvest, process, deliver, prepare and sell our food - with safe and dignified working conditions, a decent standard of living and the right to live and work legally in the US. Commissioned by Roots of Change and with funding from The California Endowment, five grassroots organizations with diverse and longstanding ties to the agricultural community - California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, California Institute for Rural Studies, Community Alliance with Family Farmers, the Farmworker Institute for Education and Leadership Development and Ag Innovations Network - convened a series of joint meetings with agricultural workers and growers to develop a vision for more sustainable farm labor conditions in California. This report presents a synthesis of those findings, including key elements of that vision and strategies for achieving it.
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Conventional, Mixed and "Deregistered" Organic Farmers: Entry Barriers and Reasons for Exiting Organic Production in California by Ron Strochlic and Luis Sierra (43 pages)
Despite its reputation as "the birthplace of organic agriculture," certified organic farming accounts for less than 1% of all California farmland and only 2% of all farms in the state. With funding from Gaia Fund, CIRS sought to better understand why 20% growth rates in the organic food sector have not been accompanied by similar growth in organic farms and farmland. The research consists of 70 in-depth interviews with conventional, "mixed" and "deregistered" farmers in Fresno County. Interviews with 30 conventional farmers sought to gauge their perceptions of organic agriculture and thoughts on transitioning. Interviews with 20 "mixed" growers farming organic and conventional acreage sought to understand their reasons for maintaining mixed operations and future plans regarding expansion or contraction of organic production. Interviews with 20 farmers that had discontinued registration with the California Department of Food and Agriculture Organic Program sought to identify the reasons those growers had left organic production and they types of support that would have helped them to continue farming organically. The report offers numerous insights into farmers' decision-making processes and includes policy recommendations to promote the increased viability of organic farming in California.
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2005
Regulating Organic: Impacts of the National Organic Standards on Consumer Awareness and Organic Consumption Patterns by Ron Strochlic (28 pages)
Through a cooperative agreement with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, CIRS conducted research on the impacts of the USDA National Organic Standards on consumer attitudes and behaviors with respect to organic food. The research consisted of a nationwide random digit dial survey of 1,000 households, and focus groups with organic and non-organic consumers in three U.S. markets. The research found high levels of consumer interest in organic food among both organic and non-organic consumers. It also found that after price, mistrust of organic claims was the second most common deterrent to organic consumption, as reported by nearly half of organic and non-organic consumers. In that vein, the research found that the USDA organic standards have had positive impacts on consumer confidence in the integrity of organic products.
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From Farmworker to Farmer: Findings from an Evaluation of the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association Small Farmer Education Program (PEPA)
by Ron Strochlic and Cathy Wirth (Excutive Summary) (4 pages)
CIRS conducted an evaluation of the Agriculture and Land Based Training Association (ALBA) Small Farmer Education Program (Programa Educativo para Pequeños Agricultores-PEPA), which provides training and resources to help farmworkers and others become independent organic farmers. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 35 graduates of the program, including those that are and are not currently working as independent farmers. In addition, key informant interviews were conducted with stakeholders familiar with the program and ALBA's work. The evaluation identified a broad range of impacts, challenges and areas of success, and recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of this program. The evaluation also laid the groundwork for increasing ALBA's internal monitoring and evaluation capacity.
The Executive Summary is available on our website. To obtain a complete copy of this report, please contact ALBA at 831-758-2012 or http://www.albafarmers.org/.
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2004
Community Supported Agriculture in California, Oregon and Washington: Challenges and Opportunities by Ron Strochlic and Crispin Shelley (45 pages)
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is rapidly emerging as an important means of increasing the viability of small and medium farms. It offers numerous benefits for growers, including access to direct markets and interest-free production capital. At the same time, CSA has responded to growing consumer interest in knowing where their food comes from and supporting local agriculture. This report, based on in-depth case studies of 13 CSA farms in California, Oregon and Washington, highlights the complexity and challenges associated with Community Supported Agriculture, in terms of issues including production, marketing, finances, labor, member recruitment and retention, and community relations. The report also offers numerous insights regarding the ways in which CSA farms have successfully addressed those issues. This report provides vital information for current and potential CSA farmers, as well as anyone interested in a better understanding of the inner workings of Community Supported Agriculture.
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2002
California Direct Marketing Study by Kenneth M. Kambara and Crispin Shelley (69 pages)
In a two-part format, this report examines the ways in which direct farm marketing contributes to farm entry and farm viability. Part I summarizes a detailed analysis of 250 phone interviews of direct marketing farmers (those who sell through farmer's markets, roadside stands, community supported agriculture arrangements, or U-pick fields). Part II reports on a case study of Mien (Laotian) immigrant strawberry growers in the Sacramento Valley who market solely through roadside stands. The goal of Part II was to examine, in detail, the ways in which direct marketing facilitates farm entry for certain immigrant growers.
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2001
Organic Production in California: Ideal and Real by Dr. Julie Guthman (41 pages)
This publication reports on the first extensive social science study of organic agriculture in California. The overall goals of the research were to examine the development and contemporary character of the California organic sector, identify patterns in producers' agronomic, labor, and marketing practices in relation to variables such as scale, tenure, farming history, and crop mix; and demonstrate how existing and proposed regulatory structures influence both the overall structure of the sector and individual management of production. This research included in-depth interviews and on-site observations with over 150 producers.
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1996
On Shaky Ground: Farm Operator Turnover in California Agriculture
by Don Villarejo (50 pages)
This report assesses the risk factors for California farm operators by examining farm operator turnover for two California counties. Turnover and attrition rates are found to be quite high in both counties, while farm start-ups are also very high. Economic instability is found to be more prevalent in certain crops, farm sizes, and ethnic groups, providing a picture of who will be at greatest risk of economic failure in farming.
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