Farmers’ Market Coming to Cow Palace
A new farmers’ market will be opening in the lower parking lot of the Cow Palace, starting July 24 and occurring from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through Oct. 16. For more information, see the San Jose Mercury News’ July 18th article.
Alliance Mourns Passing of Jack Olsen
In May 2010, the San Mateo Food System Alliance lost a strong member and supporter, Jack Olsen. Through his role as Executive Administrator of the San Mateo County Farm Bureau, he was able to provide important contributions to the viability and health of agriculture in the region. His presence will be deeply missed.
UCSC releases oral history of organic farming & sustainable agriculture on CA Central Coast
CULTIVATING A MOVEMENT
NEW ORAL HISTORY SERIES DOCUMENTS HISTORY OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND ORGANIC FARMING ON CALIFORNIA’S CENTRAL COAST
A wealth of colorful, informative stories told by dozens of pioneers in the development of organic farming and sustainable food systems in California’s Central Coast region is now available on the UCSC Library’s website
Read More »Be healthy and reduce your carbon footprint by eating local
SUMMER 2009: AS FRESH AS IT GETS CAMPAIGN
The San Mateo Food System Alliance working in cooperation with San Mateo County (Convention & Visitors Bureau, Farm Bureau, Ag Commissioner and the Health System), as well as the farming, fishing and hospitality industries are supporting and encouraging consumption of local products through this campaign.
The “As Fresh as it Gets” logo is the latest effort to highlight San Mateo County’s fresh, fruits, vegetables, fish, crab and locally produced cheese, wine and microbrews. The new logo will show up in farmers’ markets, produce stands and grocery stores throughout San Mateo County in early summer. In the meantime, residents can find out when and where to find local produce and seafood in their communities by picking up a copy of the new “San Mateo County: As Fresh As it Gets“ brochure.
HEAL Project Becomes Certified Producer
Ag Inspector at HEAL program It’s not every day that 10 year olds have their school garden visited by a San Mateo County Agriculture Inspector. In fact, it’s so rare that Hatch Elementary School is now the first public school in California to have a Certified Producers Certificate with the ability to sell produce at any Certified Farmers Market.
Farm Bureau and Food Bank Meet to Explore Opportunities to Collaborate
SMFSA meeting at the Farm Bureau Offices In July, 2008 the Board of Directors of the San Mateo County Farm Bureau met with management of the Second Harvest Food Bank of San Mateo County. The group toured the Food Bank’s facility in San Carlos and discussed opportunities for growers to provide fresh produce to the Food Bank for distribution to agencies serving the needy in San Mateo County.
These discussions were productive. The group identified areas requiring further study and development of additional information.
Read More »SMFSA Presented at the Climate Change, Land Use, Sustainability and Public Health Conference
Jennifer Gross, MPH, a Community Health Planner for the San Mateo County Health Department recently had an opportunity to present an overview of the San Mateo County Food Alliance (SMFSA) from the Health Department’s perspective during a conference entitled Climate Change, Land Use, Sustainability and Public Health, sponsored by the California Public Health Association North. As noted on the American Public Health Association website, the conference “brings together national and state leaders, scientists, and public health practitioners to: illuminate the growing effects on our health and environment of global climate change; focus on the impacts on our most vulnerable communities; and highlight some of the opportunities and practices that available to us to change the course of climate change and buffer or mitigate its effects on our communities.”
To see Jennifer Gross’ presentation click on SMFSA Health Department Perspective (pdf).
The SMFSA Reaches Out to Local Leaders
During the last months of 2007, the San Mateo County Food System Alliance members reached out to their local officials urging them to become more involved in creating a balanced Food and Farm Bill. The following is one such outreach, originally posted on the Collective Roots website.
Collective Roots is proud to be a founding member of the the San Mateo County Food System Alliance (SMFSA), The SMFSA was formed in the fall of 2006 and is comprised of individuals including farmers, fishermen, educators, hospital administrators, public health officials, philanthropists, restaurateurs, natural resource managers, directors of several public benefit organizations and residents committed to creating a sustainable food system in San Mateo County.
San Mateo County is one of the most affluent counties in California. In addition to having a reputation as an incubator for world-class education and cutting edge technologies, San Mateo County also boasts a rich agricultural and fishing history that has supported and been benefited by every community within the County. Over 50% of the county’s land mass is open space that supports agriculture, recreation, ensures healthy watersheds and is bordered by two national marine sanctuaries that support a threatened local fishing industry. San Mateo County also endures a socio-economic gap that threatens the health, educational opportunities and environment in many of our communities.
The San Mateo County Food System Alliance is dedicated to working together to bridge that gap. The SMFSA is a young group still in the formative stages. Over the past nine months the SMFSA has gathered information on the food system in the county, and begun to assess the areas where the greatest challenges must be faced and where the greatest opportunities to affect positive change might exist.
The United States Senate is currently reviewing and revising the Farm Bill and will vote on it in October 2007. Historically, California has not benefited proportionally from this $93 billion dollar piece of legislation despite being the largest contributor to agricultural products in the nation. The Farm Bill as it is now written does not provide appropriate funds for nutrition, conservation, research or support to California farmers, let alone farmers, fishermen and resource conservation efforts within San Mateo County. Nor does it address the alarming trends in health, food security, and environmental degradation so prevalent in some of our lesser-resourced communities. A reprioritized Food and Farm Bill that addresses the concerns of Californians would go a long way towards easing many of the concerns that impact all citizens of San Mateo County.
The attention now being paid to these issues is significant. A balanced Food and Farm Bill would be of great benefit and serve to improve the health, restore the ecosystems and strengthen the local economies of each city and unincorporated region in San Mateo County. We seek a Food and Farm Bill that reduces subsidies to commodity crops and increases funding for farm to school programs, conservation, research, and improves access to fresh fruits and vegetables for all our residents.
There is a heightened awareness of the negative impacts of the disproportionate funding structure the current Farm Bill imposes on the California economy and ecosystems. The Bill is now under discussion on the Senate floor, with final determinations scheduled for October. As a member of the San Mateo County Food System Alliance, we urge you, our local leaders, to advocate for a Food and Farm Bill that provides proportionally adequate funding to California.
The Alliance meets at 2:00 p.m. on the 4th Tuesday of each month in a unique location within the county. We invite you to join this important initiative and hope to inspire you to work with us in supporting a just and sustainable food system for all of San Mateo County.
Sincerely,
Robin Galas, Collective Roots