It’s been a few years now since Sonoma County’s landmark Healthy & Sustainable Food Action Plan (FAP) became the Sonoma County Food System Alliance’s shared vision for the local food system. In 2016, over 200 food, farming, and community leaders came together to celebrate the progress made since the adoption of the FAP, and to shape the next phase of action and implementation. The Forum was a fast-paced day featuring new and emerging voices in Sonoma County.
Participants engaged in a dynamic exploration of agriculture, natural resources, public health, and social equity, and deliberated about what is deeply needed to realize a thriving local food system.
Video courtesy of Ag Innovations.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
Key Findings: Connectivity & Collaboration
- The high cost of land remains prohibitive for many beginning farmers and ranchers – innovative financing models have emerged and we must enable new farmers and ranchers to acquire land.
- Increasing connectivity between producers, buyers, and consumers is crucial – neighborhood exchange programs, a virtual food hub, and other similar activities have broad local support.
- Engaging with underrepresented communities continues to prove challenging. We must intentionally grow “community” together – place-based services are empowering and integrating communities.
- Recent projects (Portrait of Sonoma, and the Farmworker Health Survey) have provided much-needed local data – more is needed to track our progress and make increasingly strategic decisions for food system improvement.
Sonoma County Food System Alliance 