| 36 SHAREE GOALS for 2030 |
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Submitted to the State Board of Food and Agriculture May 29, 2008 Sacramento, California The following goals for the State Board of Food and Agriculture’s Visioning Process are taken from California’s Campaign for a New Mainstream in Food, Farms and Fisheries . That document is the culmination of four years of visioning and planning involving nearly 1000 Californians dedicated to the purpose of creating a sustainable food system by the year 2030. It is a comprehensive, if still incomplete, framework for transforming the current agriculture and food system. The current mainstream is flawed because its core values and goals are over limited, meaning many tough challenges faced in the 21st Century cannot be successfully solved within the current system’s modalities. As California’s agricultural leaders we must broaden the guiding values, goals, and practices to achieve a more divers set of outcomes. We must add to financial return and yield per acre, several additional measures of success. These additional measures must include community health, worker satisfaction and retention, economic diversity, resource enhancement, and biologically integrated farming systems. By doing this well, we will set the world standard and move all of California’s crops to a perceived level of quality that is unmatched globally, and thereby capture the best segment of the market. By doing this well, we will reconnect California’s urban population to the fundamental reality that food and agriculture in their region is the foundation upon which their lives depend. With all of California behind them, the future may be brighter than ever before for our producers and their allies seeking to feed and cloth the people and steward the lands and waters. The Roots of Change community offers these 36 goals, with rationale for adoption, to the State Board, the Secretary, and the Department of Food and Agriculture with the hope that you will find them as compelling as we do. In adopting them, you will gain a statewide network of dedicated leaders committed to your success, the State’s future, and the nation’s health. Sustainability 1. Formation of a State-recognized public-private partnership designed to achieve sustainability in the agricultural and food system. Why? Costs for long-term transformation of the food system to a sustainable paradigm should be shared by public and private sources. This partnership must be tasked with encouraging and forming collaboration between individuals, organizations, businesses, and government agencies. When collaboration is encouraged in a system, synergy develops and change is accelerated by many parts of the system working together. 2. Provide eaters with foods produced and processed as close to home as possible. Why? A sustainable food system encourages the availability of diverse foods produced in each region, promoting consumer awareness and appreciation of producers, thriving regional food economies, and focusing exports on complementary items that cannot be produced in the importing region. National and food security, long-term economic and community healthy will be enhanced by regional food system development. 3. Support and increase biodiversity in plant and animal products (including marine species). Why? A sustainable food system provides people with real choice in the foods they eat. Not only are the products diverse, but within a product category, a range of crop and breed varieties are offered as well. In the face of global climate change, invasive pests, and global competition over commodities, diversity provides a means of ensuring adaptability and competitive differentiation. 4. Conduct farming, ranching, and fishing activities in ways that maximize leverage of biological systems thereby minimizing the need for human intervention, so that natural resources (soil, water and air) are enhanced and ecosystem health increased. Why? By adapting an integrative and regenerative approach to production there will be reduced production costs, reduced impacts from toxics, positive impacts on public and ecological health. Additionally CA producers will be positioned as the world’s highest quality producers, where quality includes ecological values and attributes. 5. All agricultural and food production systems recycle waste, limit GHG emissions, and reduce the use of nitrogen, petroleum and other non-renewable inputs. Why? A sustainable food system consumes as few input materials as possible (in particular non-renewable inputs such as fossil fuels) and minimizes its production of unwanted outputs (such as solid waste, CO2 emissions, nitrogen accumulation, and other toxic effluent and pollution). Resource shortages and ecological impacts require it. We owe this to future generations. 6. Farmers, fishers, and ranchers are rewarded for conservation services. Why? In a global economy, where ecological and social standards are not harmonized, market forces alone cannot compensate producers at this time for their efforts on behalf of the general public. Federal and state policy and programs can offer incentives and compensation to farmers, ranchers, and fishermen for providing stewardship services, energy production, water quality protection, and recycling of urban wastes. 7. Provide CA producers ways to differentiate products in the market based on sustainability values & practices. Why? Today, California cannot compete in many crops as the low-cost producer. Value to consumers must be derived from other product attributes such point of origin, ecological and social values. California’s producers need tools that allow them to add value to their crops by highlighting attributes authentic to place, variety or species, and production practices. 8. Enhance (and develop new) partnerships and programs to protect strategic parcels of farmland, rangeland and associated conservation lands. Why? The state is facing a loss of more than one million acres of farmland over the next 25 years primarily due to population growth. While some acres may be urbanized for the sake of inevitable urban expansions and farmland owner profitability, a smart growth strategy that aligns urban and rural interests can preserve the state’s farmland and enhance food security. 9. Using private-public collaboration develop regional supply, purchasing and distribution infrastructure to build local/regional food systems. Why? Efficient infrastructure and local labor to support small-scale producers and buyers of all sizes is required to diversify economies and to bring sustainable products to regional markets; this will strengthen community-based food systems. 10. Bring more “patient” public financing to sustainable food businesses. Why? Businesses focused on sustainable production often utilize a triple bottom line metrics that seek to avoid the "externalization of costs". Therefore, ROI (return on investment) may not meet typical capital expectations. Additionally, many forms of private capital have liquidity requirements that can force principles to sell companies in order to "cash out" private investors. If the number of sustainable farming and food businesses is going to expand, more community ownership of food companies, alternative liquidity, and “patient” capital is needed. 11. Accelerate conservation and enhancement of on-farm riparian, wetlands and wildlife habitat by providing growers multiple means to protect and restore farmland ecosystems including financial and other incentives for on-farm habitat management. Why? Permanently protecting a critical amount of agricultural lands will provide multiple benefits to CA water quality, wildlife habitats, and the viability of agriculture in general. 12. Task the UC and CSU systems, or an NGO with collaborating researchers, to develop a plan to synchronize and coordinate a landscape-scale stewardship incentive program for the State. Why? A landscape-scale stewardship incentive program will encourage growers and ranchers to adopt habitat conservation, and to improve production practices that impact water and air quality. This program will support California’s producers in implementing on-farm conservation efforts through creative and practical strategies that: • Reduce carbon and nitrogen pollution; • Enhance the viability and sustainability of California agriculture while simultaneously demonstrating compatibility with wildlife habitat, ecosystem services and natural resources/biodiversity conservation; • Contribute to the overall ecological health of California’s environment, including air quality, water quality, flood control, and/or biodiversity; • Rely on locally based collaborations that aim to integrate goals with agricultural practices and economic sustainability; • Address producers’ need for financial and technical assistance; • Include, where necessary and appropriate, administrative streamlining processes, such as Safe Harbor agreements that assure producers will not be penalized for conservation work, and permit streamlining processes that ensure funds will be implemented in a timely fashion; • Enhance local economies; • Reduce perverse incentives that decrease conservation value. • Leverage federal state and other conservation funds, such as USDA Farm Bill conservation program funds; and • Use science-supported monitoring capable of measuring synchronized state and regional impacts of landscape scale incentives programs. Health 13. Promote food choices that lead to healthy eating. Why? In a sustainable agriculture and food system, freshness, nutrition and taste are primary goals and people eat a balanced diet with fresh and fresh-processed whole foods that are produced in ways that maintain high nutritional content. 14. Employ humane practices in animal care. Why? Animal production in a sustainable food system adheres to the highest standards of animal welfare, where animals are in a state of complete mental and physical health. This approach helps ensure public support and healthier food. 15. Increase the participation of health care professionals in the work of building a sustainable agriculture and food system. Why? With greater food systems literacy and understanding, the healthcare sector can plan for, educate about, and implement programs that integrate the health of the individual, the food system, and the environment. Healthcare providers are emerging as our greatest ally. 16. Incorporate concepts of health and wellness into traditional planning education and training. Why? Currently, planners think about traffic flow, economic activity, and utilities more than community health and wellness. Thus, our cities are built efficiently for cars and growth, but not necessarily for citizens focused on health (walking, bike riding, or eating healthy foods). The State must reorient and educate planners to include considerations of health and wellness as they plan community infrastructure. Adaptability 17. Support collaboration between individuals, organizations, businesses, and government agencies to create a sustainable food system. Why? When collaboration is encouraged in a system, change is accelerated and catalyzed by many parts of the system working together. To remain sustainable (i.e. profitable) collaboration between individuals, organizations, businesses and government agencies will be a necessity. 18. Provide opportunities for revenue from on-farm energy production, tourism, education, and other value-added services (in addition to food production). Why? Producers are able to supplement their income with value-added activities on their land, through energy production, services such as mentoring young farmers, contributing to smart development, and offering rural recreational activities. More diverse revenue streams provide flexibility in a dynamic system. 19. Encourage business structures and forms of capitalization that provide investment and ownership opportunities to workers and community members. Why? A sustainable agriculture and food system encourages community-based, community-owned and managed business models that foster a sense of connection to and allow investment in regional producers. 20. Build more support for sustainable food business and accelerate innovation of new business models. Why? Many examples of successful sustainable farm and food business models exist within the current CA system. These businesses can be used as examples for others to emulate. Research 21. Enhance the UC and CSU budget related to applied research and reorient university and college staff incentives for undertaking applied research aimed at sustainable farming systems. Why? In recent years, UC Cooperative Extension and other higher education budgets have been slashed. This has undermined the State’s ability to remain adaptive to social and economic needs and competitive in the world market. The trend must be reversed. Budget augmentation alone is insufficient however. Researchers and extension agents must be given institutional incentives for meeting the needs of small, mid sized producers seeking sustainable farming knowledge. Education 22. Encourage eaters to know where, how and by whom their food is produced. Why? In a sustainable system, people know where their food comes from, how and by whom it was grown, raised or caught, and how and where it was processed and packaged. As a consequence, they become more reliable advocates for healthy, sustainable foods. 23. Support formation of regional identity systems for food. Why? In a sustainable system, food and food production play a role in defining and deepening a sense of place and identity in a given region. Regional reputations build market opportunities and generate demand for both unique, high value products. 24. Attract more young people to choose a career in farming. Why? In 2007 the average age of a California farmer was over 57 years old. In order for a future sustainable food system to thrive in the state, the roadblocks impeding young people from entering agriculture need to be identified, and incentives for younger people to enter into agriculture must be developed. 25. Incorporate concepts of health and wellness into traditional planning education and training. Why? Currently, planners think about traffic flow, economic activity, and utilities more than community health and wellness. Thus, our cities are built efficiently for cars and growth, but not necessarily for citizens focused on health (walking, bike riding, or eating healthy foods). The State must reorient and educate planners to include considerations of health and wellness as they plan community infrastructure. 26. Support new and existing farm-to-school programs that increase the health, nutrition, and food system awareness of students in all of California's educational institutions. Why? Schools and universities represent a purchasing power to shift markets toward sustainability while simultaneously educating students and consumers about the CA food system. A holistic, experiential, and participatory educational approach is needed in both K through 12 and higher education systems in California on the subject of the food system. 27. Change public perception of farming by clarifying the interrelation between producers, food, and health of individuals, communities, and the environment in California. Why? Currently Californian’s are largely unaware of where their food comes from, and the effects production practices, distribution, and policy have on the health of communities. With more understanding of the ways that individual, community and environmental health are related, more Californian’s would support the State’s move to create a sustainable agriculture and food system. 28. Re-link city and country through existing events that bring country to city and city to the country. Why? At one time county fairs were a celebration of agricultural harvests and community success. Today there are few places other than farmers markets where city dwellers can experience the culture and bounty of rural regions. California must rebuild community events that bring rural bounty to the center of cities to celebrate and remind the urban population of their interdependence and the need to consistently support their regional producers. Equity 29. Improve public health by making healthy food available & accessible to low-income Californians. Why? Many of California’s urban and rural communities are lacking access to healthy affordable food – and both individual and community health are suffering. California must ensure that the healthiest foods are also the most economically sensible options and that disparities in food access, nutrition, and health are addressed. This can be done by ensuring access to healthy food in underserved, low-income areas of California as a way of impacting the public health problems of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other lifestyle and diet maladies. In the long-term, prevention through better nutrition will save the nation and state billions of dollars. 30. Promote efficient “values-based” value chains that share information and proceeds fairly among links in the chain. Why? Collaboration to better compete in world markets and accelerate innovation is enhanced when a high level of trust exists among actors in a system. A sustainable system encourages equitable distribution of power and profit among links in the food supply chain because it enhances trust and thereby optimizes functionality. 31. Provide for basic human protection and security for all food and farming workers. Why? While health and safety improvements have been achieved, agricultural workers are still vulnerable to heat stroke and chronic pesticide exposure and too often lack access to water and restrooms. Given the physical and health demands of agricultural work, access to affordable health care and safe housing becomes a matter of critical urgency to protect life and a decent quality of life. 32. Provide for meaningful livelihoods and opportunities for all food and farming workers. Why? In a sustainable system employees are given significant opportunities for personal development and advancement as a means to keep them satisfied and committed to their careers in agriculture. 33. Provide a living wage. Why? Loss of workers is a major challenge as other industries lure them away with higher wages. Agriculture needs workers and provision of a living wage is a central factor. This can be achieved via a combination of production- and market-based strategies. 34. Provide access to health care. Why? Improved access to health care is an essential aspect of improved farmworker conditions. Improved conditions means a stable workforce. 35. Fully enforce worker health and safety. Why? Safe working conditions are a vital component in a strategy to retain the workforce and reduce risk for arm operators. 36. Invest in development of healthy rural communities. Why? Most farm workers live in rural regions. Clean water, access to housing, health care and other services and amenities are vital to establishing a quality of life that will maintain the health, vitality and satisfaction of workers and their families. # # # |
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