The SMFSA Constitution
In April of 2008, the San Mateo County Food System Alliance adopted by consensus its Constitution. This was the culmination of a year of dialogue and trust-building.
The following is the purpose, convening statement, and guiding principles from the SMFSA Constitution. For a complete version please download the San Mateo County Food System Alliance Constitution
Our Purpose
To support, enhance, and maintain an enduring and interdependent food system that is economically viable, environmentally sound and socially equitable that connects people to agriculture and enhances the health of all residents of San Mateo County.
Convening Statement
The SMFSA recognizes that there are broken links in the food system in one of the most economically, environmentally and socially diverse communities in the world. The SMFSA was convened to provide a conduit for communication between all the various stakeholders in the food system, and is committed to addressing the need to find balanced solutions to the many weak links in the existing system.
Principles
Principles of Practice: Core Values
Recognizing that we will need to periodically remind ourselves of our core beliefs, that the actions of the SMFSA must be consistently implemented over the long-term, and that the community’s consent is needed to achieve our purpose, we have set forth the following principles to guide implementation of our programming.
1. We believe that all parts of the food system are interrelated and that a change in one area may impact others.
2. We believe in the power of collective wisdom, where the wisdom of us as a whole is more powerful than each of us working alone.
3. We believe we need to be adequately informed to be able to be effective.
4. We believe in the effectiveness of bridging and making connections across communities within and outside of our food system.
5. We believe a healthy and sustainable food system is necessary for healthy communities, a healthy planet and a healthy future.
6. We believe in and will advocate for a healthy food system where all San Mateo County residents have access to San Mateo County products.
7. We believe in celebrating local agricultural history and tradition, the viability of San Mateo County’s agricultural economy and the people dependent on it, and the conservation of our natural resources.
8. We believe it is a basic human right that all people have access to affordable, healthy food.
9. We believe everyone should understand the fundamental origin of their food: where it is harvested, how it it is produced, processed and transported.
10. We recognize the connectedness of life on earth and will seek solutions that consider all parts of the ecosystem.
11. We believe that an informed population will help restore the food system to a more balanced state.
12. We are aware that both locally and globally people are malnourished and we will work to improve the food system with those people in mind.
13. We believe that all people, across generations, are linked to each other and interdependent through our social, ecological, and economic systems.
14. We believe that a healthy and ecologically sound environment is possible and should be available for all members of our community.
15. We believe that we are accountable for the effects of our decisions on each other, the planet, and on future generations.
16. We recognize that special consideration must be given to those community members who are vulnerable and voiceless.
17. We believe in working proactively in our community to build alliances and avoid conflict.
18. We believe all arable land in the county, especially the most productive, should be put into production.
19. We believe all agricultural land should preferentially grow items that directly benefit the local area if such production is economically viable.
20. We believe economic and policy support for new farmers should be developed.
21. We believe people will be more healthy if they are more connected to the land that sustains them and can have direct access to local and fresh food.
22. We believe it is important to connect large institutional consumers, such as schools and hospitals, directly to local farms and farmers.
23. We believe every school should have a school garden program to help tie kids to agriculture.
24. We believe every resident should have access to community gardens within a half of a mile of where they live.
Principles of Organization
Recognizing that mutual trust and a common purpose are the basis for reaching consensus, the SMFSA has set forth the following principles to guide behavior of the organization’s members as they work to set goals and define activities. We recognize that the current process is merely the first step in a series of continuous steps that are needed to achieve our common purpose.
1. In order to develop mutual trust, we respect the right of each individual to have viewpoints, beliefs and values. We strive to find the most effective, honest, and respectful way to understanding others’ perspectives and concerns.
2. In order to be effective our group must be truly representative of all parts of the food system and therefore maintain a diverse membership.
3. We are open to innovation and encourage creativity of form and roles. We do not limit ourselves. We are open to new ways of understanding.
4. We are honest with each other and make all attempts to be clear in how we communicate.
5. We look for long range, holistic solutions, not temporary fixes.
6. We will work from the spirit of “never give up” working hard to bring optimism to the situations at hand.
7. We work with the assumption that we are not a temporary group, but one that will continue to grow and develop into the future.
8. Our primary focus is on our local food system in San Mateo County.
9. What we decide to work on includes follow-through and is something that makes a difference for our community.
10. The more clearly we can communicate who we are and what we are doing the more effective we will be. To reach that clarity we will work to turn our ideas into tools/documents as needed.
11. We recognize that there is no better way to understand all sides of an issue than to listen deeply to every member of the group and our guests.
12. In order to make wise decisions we will strive to learn from each other and seek additional and external resources when more knowledge is needed on any relevant subject.
13. We will utilize our organizations and networks as resources.
14. By being part of the SMFSA as individuals rather than our organizations we are quicker, more nimble, and may be more powerful.
15. We value tolerance for all view points and will seek common values in order to pursue fair solutions.
16. We use simple, honest dialogue to achieve consensus in making decisions. 17. Consensus is defined as a mutually accepted group position or an agreement good enough for all members to move ahead. “Good enough” means that there is no strong objection by any one or more group members and those who are not in full accord give their consent to the consensus position established by the balance of the group.
17. Consensus is the ideal. If for some reason an individual member cannot support a position or statement otherwise accepted by consensus of the group, that individual may decline to endorse said position.
18. Members can participate fully in all dialogue and decision making processes even when they are administratively unable to endorse a statement or action taken by the group.
19. We will keep our statements as brief and clear as possible and no one person or subgroup will dominate the exchange.