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Guest Blog
Ali Edwards
Hello everyone - we are writing to you from the heart of the Central Valley, midway through our initial week of statewide meetings. All the almond trees are in bloom, making the valley a garden as far as the eye can see.


We started out on Monday, holding our first meeting in Los Angeles. Nutritionists, urban agriculturalists, food security advocates, farmers, philanthropists, students, and educators, and farmer market managers attended. Many new cross-food-sector relationships were spawned and the meeting created a new level of connection with Southern California food system leaders. So much is going on in LA, amazing growth in farmers markets and work in food access, restaurants of all sizes and shapes using local food, farm to school and farm to hospital programs are growing, and many new sustainability initiatives from the mayors office. The city and region has some great momentum - we are excited to spend more time there and help connect what's happening around the state.

At our Tuesday meeting in Ventura, people attending from San Luis, Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Diego counties. Along with many farmers (large and small, organic and conventional), attendees included; health advocates, distributors, farm to school and institution organizers, regional environmental and conservation groups, chefs, and members of both the Ventura and Tehachapi Ag Futures Alliance. The group was enthusiastic about joining the leadership network and sharing and connecting with others around the state.
Attendees from San Diego, San Louis, and Ventura are all working on new distribution models for regional food systems. I listened in on some great information sharing. The Food and Farming Portal that ROC will launch by mid-May will provide the Leadership Network with a place to plant and grow such conversations (and many more), so people doing related work around the state can connect, collaborate, and create together.

We drove over the Grapevine into the Central Valley that night, and had a really great meeting in Fresno on Wednesday. It was amazing to see the diversity of people and different parts of the food system represented so well here in the heart of the California. Asian, African American, Hispanic, Caucasian, young to old, entrepreneurs, local and state government agencies, city and regional planners, food access advocates, environmental justice advocates, and many conventional and organic farmers. With the help of our co-hosts, The Great Valley Center, Martha Guzman/CRLA and Fresno Metro Ministries, this meeting brought out the largest and most diverse crowd yet. They were completely engaged and full of ideas, questions, and comments. Two people came up to Michael afterward to say the time is perfect, the "Central Valley is ready for this initiative."

The Leadership Network is off to a great start - people are excited about the opportunity to join forces in this unprecedented collaboration. Each meeting grows in size and enthusiasm. Lots of people have expressed their desire to spread the word and invite their friends and colleagues to visit the ROC website and join as well.
And, we have had a wonderful diversity of people state their intentions to apply for this years planning fellowships. We are off to a really great start.

We are looking forward to seeing what our meeting today in Modesto brings - and then on to San Francisco tomorrow...we'll keep you posted as it happens.
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