WiserEarth Suggestions

The Community Alliance with Family Farmers is building a movement of rural and urban people to foster family-scale agriculture that cares for the land, sustains local economies and promotes social justice.



Biological Farming

The Biological Farming Program builds and supports communities of farmers, agricultural professionals, and public institutions dedicated to the voluntary adoption of a whole systems approach to farm management. This approach is flexible, maintains long-term profitability, and conserves and enhances water, soil and air resources.



Projects:

Watershed Stewardship - San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento Valley

Farmscaping for Wildlife and Conservation - San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento valley, Central Coast, North Coast

Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems - San Joaquin Valley



Community Food Systems

The Community Food Systems Program consists of three primary projects: Farm-to-School (F2S), which provides nutrition education in the cafeteria and classroom; the Growers Collaborative, a social venture business and California Department of Food and Agriculture licensed distributor of produce that sells produce on behalf of small family-owned farms to public schools and hospitals, and Buy Fresh, Buy Local (BFBL), a local food branding campaign that is active in the Central Coast, Sacramento and Bay Area. To date, CAFF has mobilized and supported more Farm-to-School projects than any other group in California, with current and recent activities in over 100 schools including schools in two school districts in Yolo, three in Santa Cruz, one in Monterey, two in Fresno, one in Sonoma, thirteen in Humboldt, one in Merced, two in Ventura and one in Los Angeles. In the past two years through activities in its F2S and BFBL programs CAFF has conducted over 480 hours of nutrition education in public schools; executed over 40 farm field trips for public schoolchildren; delivered 40,000 pounds of fresh produce to schools; founded the Esparto Farmers Market in a rural, disadvantaged area of Yolo County; cosponsored the Farm-to-School bill in the California legislature; developed a local food sourcing policy for 19 Kaiser Permanente hospitals; launched the BFBL brand in the Greater Bay Area; and assisted three school districts on Wellness Policy development and implementation.






CAFF members are building a renewed agriculture that is environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially just. We are activists, farmers, environmentalists, urban residents who want good food, students, gardeners, and anyone who supports sustainable food and farming systems.



We build bridges and connections among people who might otherwise be on opposite sides of the fence: farmers and environmentalists, farmers and farmworkers, policy makers and community members, industry leaders and consumers. These alliances - combined with clear objectives and effective methods - are building a powerful community-based movement for sustainable agriculture.