In alameda county, california,180,930 people (10.9% of the population) are food insecure.to increase access to and availability of regionally produced fruits and vegetables to alameda county residents…

In alameda county, california,180,930 people (10.9% of the population) are food insecure.to increase access to and availability of regionally produced fruits and vegetables to alameda county residents who are food insecure, the alameda county deputy sheriffs' activities league (DSAL) will implement the building collective strength: alameda county small farm collective project.DSAL is leveraging its comprehensive infrastructure for fresh fruit and vegetable aggregation, processing, and distribution to support a regional community supported agriculture (CSA) collective. The collective will primarily sell produce to the food as medicine program, which will provide nutrient-dense fresh produce to 11,000 low-income residents with metabolic illness and/or food insecurity over the next three years. Fresh produce will be purchased by health clinics and be delivered directly to patients' homes. The overarching goal of building collective strength is to strengthen the infrastructure of the alameda county regional food economy by providing business planning, marketing support, and training for farmers in alameda county and coordination of purchasing and contracting, and delivery support for direct-to-consumer market opportunities through a regional CSA collective.projected outcomes for building collective strength include increasing consumption of and access to locally and regional produced agricultural products to 11,000 people; increasing customers and sales of regional agricultural products by 483% and 240%,respectively; and developing new market opportunities for at least three farm operations serving alameda county, including four CSA sites.