ROC's 2007 Successes

ROC has a huge task, one that we are prepared to undertake and honored to engage. We are knitting a network of change agents committed to collaborating around the common goal of a sustainable food system for California by 2030. The network, composed of creative, intelligent and energetic people like you, is what will make this change happen. ROC and its public and private sector allies are working to link you all to tools and funds that will empower this important work. A key mantra for ROC is unprecedented clarity, collaboration, and resources for food system change.

ROC had many successes in 2007, success that will set the stage for more progress 2008. We:
1)    Expanded our Stewardship Council to seventeen very powerful leaders who vet our plans, approve investments, and oversee operations to ensure that ROC’s purpose and principles are in fact at the center of activity; and we set a goal to seat 21 members by 2009.
2)    Mapped and launched the ROC Leadership Network composed of grass root and grass top leaders. We did this by reaching out to eight California communities to invite their members to join and over five hundred new leaders have so far accepted the invitation!
3)    Launched the Planning Fellows Program and provided 27 fellowships that supported deep participation of food system leaders in development of ROC’s strategy.
4)    Continued to fund the policy work and expand the California Roundtable on Ag and the Environment that meets regularly in Sacramento and the county-based sustainable food system roundtables. These county groups are part of an alliance managed by Ag Innovations Network that now includes Ventura, San Benito, Yolo, Santa Barbara and San Mateo.
5)    Developed meaningful working relationships with important State institutions: California Department of Food and Agriculture and the State Board of Food and Agriculture; the UC Davis Ag Sustainability Institute; members of the California Legislature; and the Department of Pesticide Regulation.
6)    Began to engage large producer associations open to the idea of establishing sustainable production protocols modeled on the one developed by California’s wine industry.
7)    Set the stage for collaborations with elements of the food security community in San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, and San Diego.
8)    Identified at least two federal agencies (USDA’s Risk Management and Health and Human Services) that would like to help ROC succeed.
9)    Helped incubate Investor Circle’s “Slow Money” project with “patient” capitalists from Investors Circle, Blue Moon Foundation, and RSF Social Finance who share your desire for food companies that are truly sustainable. Slow Money now seeks to develop a fund that would include up to $20 million dollars for California companies seeking investment.
10)    Linked with two additional foundations that are interested in funding elements of the Campaign.
11)    Raised our first $20,000 in December for policy work from individual Californians who share the vision of a sustainable food system and were willing to write checks.
12)    Launched a workgroup that developed its first model policy for review and consideration by members of the legislature.
13)    Began to link the ROC and Slow Food networks so that we may combine Slow Food’s consumer and producer base with its focus on food quality, biodiversity, and market development work with ROC’s broad coalition focused on farming systems, social justice, food access, market development, policy and community consensus building. Dovetailing ROC’s actions with Slow Food’s action will serve to empower both networks. ROC hopes this is only the first of many network couplings over the coming years, and we invite you to initiate just such a link up between your network and ROC’s.