Project Grant 20233380040420

BORN OUT OF A PARTICIPATORY COMMUNITY DESIGN SESSION HELD IN DECEMBER 2019 IN THE EAST BAY WITH 25 BEGINNING FARMERS AND FOOD JUSTICE EDUCATORS, THIS PROJECT WILL BUILD VALUES-ALIGNED RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LOCAL FARMERS AND LOCAL MARKETS, FACILITATE THE COOPERATION FOR LOCAL FARMERS TO SELL THEIR PRODUCE AT LOCAL MARKETS, INCREASE FARMER AND CONSUMER KNOWLEDGE ABOUT NUTRIENT DENSITY OF FRESH AND LOCAL AGROECOLOGICALLY GROWN FOOD. JUST THREE MONTHS AFTER A PLAN WAS SET TO LAUNCH AN AGROECOLOGICAL COOPERATIVE INCUBATOR FARM, A VERY SMALL VIRUS CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE BIG WIDE WORLD. OF THE MANY LESSONS LEARNED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ABOUT THE NEEDS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE, THE IMPORTANCE OF RESILIENT LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS THAT ARE NOT DEPENDENT ON MULTINATIONAL SUPPLY CHAINS HAS RESOUNDED ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON LOCAL FOOD ACCESS AND NUTRITION SECURITY IN THE CALIFORNIA BAY AREA WAS COMPOUNDED BY MULTIPLE CHALLENGES SUCH AS CLIMATE DISASTERS, CLIMATE EXTREMES INCLUDING SMOKE AND WILDFIRES IMPACTING CROPS, AND INCREASING LAND ACCESS SCARCITY FOR FARMERS DUE TO DEVELOPMENT, GENTRIFICATION, AND CONTAMINATION. IN ADDITION TO ADVANCING NUTRIENT-DENSE FOOD AND COMMUNITY SELF-RELIANCE, THIS PROJECT, GROWING COOPERATIVE NETWORKS FOR COMMUNITY FOOD SOVEREIGNTY, NUTRITION, AND AGROECOLOGICAL LAND STEWARDSHIP WILL CONTRIBUTE TO CLIMATE AND ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE THROUGH THE EXPANSION OF AGROECOLOGICAL FARMING PRACTICES. RECENT STUDIES ESTIMATE THAT URBAN AGRICULTURE IN PARTICULAR HAS THE ABILITY TO MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD INSECURITY INCLUDING THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF 100-180 MILLION TONS OF FOOD, SAVINGS OF 14 TO 15 BILLION KILOWATT HOURS OF ENERGY, SEQUESTERING BETWEEN 100,000 AND 170,000 TONS OF NITROGEN, AND REDUCING 45 AND 57 BILLION CUBIC METERS OF STORMWATER. BELOW IS A COMMON ACRONYM KEY FOR OUR PROPOSAL TO SUPPORT A MORE EASEFUL REVIEW ! AGROECOLOGY COMMONSACMANDELA GROCERY COOPERATIVEMGCBAY AREA FARMER-TO-FARMER TRAININGBAFFTQUEER, TRANS, BLACK, INDIGENOUS, PEOPLE OF COLORQTBIPOCFERAL HEART FARMFHFORGANIZED TO SERVE BEGINNING FARMERS AND LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN ALAMEDA, CONTRA COSTA, AND FRESNO COUNTIES, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEEPEN COMMUNITY FOOD SYSTEM RESILIENCE. PROJECT BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED AND LOW-INCOME BEGINNING FARMERS, CONSUMERS, AND YOUTH; PEOPLE OF COLOR, WOMEN, TRANSGENDER, AND GENDER NON-CONFORMING INDIVIDUALS, FORMERLY INCARCERATED, AND IMMIGRANTS TO THE UNITED STATES. PRE-COVID DATA SHOWS THAT ONE IN TEN PEOPLE IN THE BAY AREA ARE HUNGRY, AND 62% DO NOT QUALIFY FOR FOOD STAMPS EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY BE STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY WITH HIGH COSTS OF LIVING IN THE AREA, BUT ON A FEDERAL LEVEL THEY MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY TO QUALIFY FOR SNAP. OVER THE COURSE OF THE PANDEMIC THESE NUMBERS HAVE WORSENED WITH FOOD INSECURITY RATES INCREASING TO 20% AND THEN 33%. IN FEBRUARY 2022, ONE OF ONLY TWO EXISTING WEST OAKLAND'S FULL SERVICE GROCERY STORES CLOSED, LEAVING THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS WITH E,VEN LESS ACCESS TO FRESH NUTRIENT-DENSE PRODUCE.BY VIRTUE OF THEIR PROXIMITY TO DENSE POPULATIONS, FARMERS IN THE BAY AREA REGION CAN PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE FOOD SYSTEMS BY PROVIDING NOURISHING AND AFFORDABLE FOOD, AS WELL AS BY EDUCATING BEGINNING FARMERS, AND COMMUNITY RESIDENTS ON HOW TO GROW THEIR OWN FRESH FOOD. AC BELIEVES THE FUTURE OF COMMUNITY FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IS ROOTED IN RESILIENT SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR MUTUAL AID, AGROECOLOGICAL INNOVATION, COMMUNITY-BASED EDUCATION, AND VALUES-ALIGNED MARKETS.