Progress 10/01/02 to 09/30/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The goal of this project was to increase systematic knowledge of how communities can generate, support, and benefit from more localized food systems. During the last five years, we focused on documenting, analyzing and helping to enhance direct and institutional marketing arrangements for small to mid-scale family farmers in three California counties (Stanislaus, Placer and Yolo) and in Northern California generally. The California project participants incorporated active public engagement and outreach into project work. We identified key food systems leaders (UC Cooperative Extension directors and farm advisors, marketing experts, farmers, county government officials, agricultural commissioners, land use planners, school food service, non-profits) in Stanislaus, Placer and Yolo counties and partnered with them to analyze important direct marketing venues in that county for farmers. The county stakeholders helped guide data gathering, interpret and disseminate results. Research in Stanislaus, Placer and Yolo counties identified several long term trends such as increased global agricultural trade, urbanization and farmland disappearance, labor supply and cost issues, and shifting requirements for environmental compliance that have shaped the opportunity and need for developing local food systems, and in particular influence opportunities for farmers trying to enter institutional markets. Project activities identified, examined and contributed to the implementation of various strategies for localizing and re-localizing food systems. The California project generated considerable data on the social organization and development of farmers' markets. Project activities centered on developing entrepreneurial capacity, urban-rural differences among markets, relationships with local units of government, and farmer-vendor characteristics. Activities also included collaboration with emerging farm-to-school programs and assessments of their relative success in building stronger links between schools and state food and agriculture. Assessments were made of the impacts of one county's farm-to-school program for local growers, participation and consumption patterns, using an innovative digital photo method to assess what foods and how much children put on their plates at the salad bar. The Farm-to-Hospital program in California set the framework for collaboration with the Physicians for Social Responsibility (SF) to conduct an evaluation of how farm-to-hospital programs are working in the greater Bay Area. PARTICIPANTS: Gail Feenstra, food systems analyst, UC SAREP/ASI Jeri Ohmart, food systems, evaluation, UC SAREP/ASI Melissa Salazar, grad student, Dept of Ed., UC Davis Chris Lewis, post-graduate researcher, UC SAREP/ASI Erin Derden-Little, grad student, UC Davis Heather Ricks, grad student, UC Davis Jamie Anderson, grad student, UC Davis Shawn King, post-graduate researcher, UC SAREP Shauna Cozad, grad student, UC SAREP Henry Krusekopf, grad student, UC SAREP Sara Prout, grad student, UC SAREP Davis Farm to School Connection, Davis, CA PlacerGROWN Capay Valley Grown UC Cooperative Extension Davis Farmers Market TARGET AUDIENCES: Food service directors, distributors, farmers, Cooperative Extension personnel, parents, teachers, policymakers, researchers, nonprofits (ag and food oriented), government agencies PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Reports from work in each of three counties (Stanislaus, Placer and Yolo) identified the economic impacts of various direct marketing strategies. The Capay Valley Grown campaign's evaluation of impacts for local growers, consumers and non-profits has been used by the Capay Valley Grown campaign (Yolo County) in their strategic planning for the future. The report developed indicators/metrics for future assessments by the community partners. In addition, interviews, economic analysis and consumption/waste studies at several school districts helped to determine the economic and nutritional impacts of the farm-to-school program in Yolo County. The consolidation of a newly formed association of mandarin growers in Placer County, California became an active and effective group in devising new outreach and marketing venues. One of these became the Mountain Mandarin Magic Farm Tour which took place every weekend in December, 2004 and succeeding years to bring the public out to Placer County mandarin farms. Thousands of people visited these farms, increasing mandarin sales substantially. The involvement of researchers in many of the meetings of the newly formed association of mandarin growers gave growers added credibility and encouraged additional growers to participate, solidifying the association. The farm-to-hospital work spawned new initiatives in the health care industry including: a resolution accepted by the California State Medical Association calling for hospitals and physicians to model and promote sustainable food systems, including sourcing from small and local farms; research and coordination of a local poultry procurement initiative with the Bay area Hospital Leadership Team; preparation of an information brochure to help food buyers in hospitals understand food myths vs. facts, including information related to small, local farms; a web-based information portal on SF PSR site for Bay area hospital food service directors and clinicians regarding sustainable local food; and support and networking through meetings and technical assistance for Bay area sustainable local food initiatives.
Publications
- 2008 Publications: Joshi, Anupama, Andrea Misako Azuma and Gail Feenstra. 2008. Do farm to school programs make a difference Findings and future research needs. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, Vol. 3 (2/3), pp. 229-246.
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Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07
Outputs
Local Agricultural Marketing Organizations We completed our report on "Regional Agricultural Marketing: A Review of Programs in California" and its companion report, "An evaluation of the Capay Valley Grown campaign." Both documents are now posted on SAREP's website in the special section for this regional research project under the Community Food Systems link: http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cdpp/foodsystems/. The first report summarized the activities, successes and challenges of these regional ag marketing programs in the state. The second report focuses on the findings and impacts of one program in particular. We presented findings at the California Commodities Commission at UC Davis and the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Conference this summer (June 2006) in Vancouver, Canada. Farm-to-Hospital Most of our work this year has focused on researching farm-to-institution programs in the health care industry and the potential for California farmers to be involved. That
report is now completed and will be up on SAREP's website this winter. Results were shared briefly at our Annual Technical meeting and an executive summary is now available. This is a new and growing marketing opportunity for California's mid-scale growers.
Impacts
We continue to get contacted by various newspaper business editors and interested growers from all over the country about our earlier reports including "Assessing the local marketing potential for mandarin growers in Placer County." The evaluation of the Capay Valley Grown campaign evaluated the impacts of that program for local growers, consumers and the non-profit organization managing the activities. This information has been used by the Capay Valley Grown campaign in their strategic planning for the future. The report also developed indicators/metrics for future assessments by the community partners. We hope to use the farm to hospital project to catalyze additional proposals and research in this arena. One such opportunity for the coming year will be our collaboration with the Physicians for Social Responsibility (SF) to conduct an evaluation of how farm-to-hospital programs are working in the greater Bay Area. The farm to hospital work has also spawned new
initiatives in the health care industry; namely: -a resolution that was accepted by the California State Medical Association calling for hospitals and physicians to model and promote sustainable food systems, including sourcing from small and local farms; -research and coordination of local poultry procurement initiative with the Bay area Hospital Leadership Team; -research and drafting of an information brochure that will help food buyers in hospitals to understand food myths vs. facts, including information related to small, local farms; -draft of a web-based information portal on SF PSR site for Bay area hospital food service directors, clinicians regarding sustainable local food; and -support and networking through meetings and technical assistance for Bay area sustainable local food initiatives.
Publications
- Sachs, Elizabeth and Gail Feenstra. 2007. Local Food in Health Care: The State of Farm-to-Hospital Initiatives in the Bay Area. Davis, CA: UC SAREP.
- Gillespie, Gilbert W., Jr., Duncan L. Hilchey, C. Clare Hinrichs and Gail Feenstra. 2007. Farmers markets as keystones in rebuilding local and regional food systems. Chapter in C. Clare Hinrichs and Thomas A. Lyson (Eds.) Remaking the North American Food System: Strategies for Sustainability. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
- Feenstra, Gail; Giraud, Deborah and Rilla, Ellie. 2007 "Farm-to-School Programs Link Rural/Urban Communities Promoting Collaboration and Civic Engagement." Annual Meeting Proceedings and Poster, Rural Sociology Society, San Jose, CA.
- Feenstra, Gail. 2007. The roles of farmers markets in fueling local economies. Gastronomic Sciences 1/07: 56-67.
- Shreck A., C. Getz & G. Feenstra. Winter 2006. Social sustainability, farm labor and organic agriculture: Findings from an exploratory analysis. Agriculture and Human Values, 23(4): 439-449.
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
In 2006, we completed our statewide review of regional agricultural marketing programs in California. The entire report: 'Regional Agricultural Marketing-A Review of Programs in California,' and an executive summary are now available on SAREP's website at: http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cdpp/foodsystems/sustaining.htm. We followed up that study with a more detailed analysis of one of the regional agricultural marketing programs-Capay Valley Grown (CVG). In a report entitled, 'An Evaluation of the Capay Valley Grown Campaign,' we focused on documenting the quantitative and qualitative ways in which the project has been impacting growers and communities in this region of Yolo County. In its third year of offering assistance to growers and ranchers in the Capay Valley region, the project has also helped raise consumer awareness of the valley's agricultural products and contributed to the region's profitability. The Capay Valley study's purpose was to evaluate how well the
project was meeting its goals and objectives. Two surveys were conducted to gather data-one targeted to project partners, and one targeted to consumers at two farmers markets where CVG products are sold. Results highlighted specific accomplishments in the areas of: (1) producer partner marketing venues, (2) Capay Valley Grown partnership benefits, and (3) consumer awareness. The study also made suggestions about immediate and long-term strategic actions. Finally, the study suggested a set of concrete indicators and provided baseline data for a number of them, so future evaluations could build on this base. Since agricultural programs throughout the state are looking for ways to measure their impacts, we see this study as a potentially useful tool for agricultural advisors, farm organizations and agricultural agencies to use in their work. These 'indicators' will be required with greater frequency as funders (whether philanthropic or government-based) are increasingly concerned with
cost/benefit scenarios in making decisions. Additionally, local and statewide policymakers want to see concrete indices or indicators of success. The study report is now available on-line on SAREP's website at: http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cdpp/foodsystems/sustaining.htm. In the fall of 2006, we embarked on a new study focused on improving regional markets in Yolo County through institutional food services, particularly those in hospitals, correctional facilities and government institutions. We will be assessing the demand and supply for locally grown foods in these institutions. Additionally, we will be working with Cooperative Extension personnel and government agencies that are developing a county food policy. We would like to see such a policy encourage the purchase of locally grown foods when possible, in addition to the nutritional improvements it already encourages.
Impacts
The Capay Valley report has been read and used by leaders and members of Capay Valley Grown in helping them improve current programming. They now have a much better idea of what features have been most useful to the partners and how they might make the program even more effective. A recent interview with the Capay Valley Vision Program Coordinator found that: In the short term, the study showed that many partners were interested in the selling products through a joint store. With that initial support, Thomas Nelson (a resident and business school student) has been able to organize investors and Capay Valley Grown partners to put together an LLC that will be selling Capay Valley Grown products at a Capay Valley store in the newly refurbished Nut Tree in Vacaville. That will be opening in the spring of 2007. The questions about marketing tools led us to our 06-07 marketing plan for Capay Valley Grown which includes a Farmers Market trailer, website upgrade and improving
our print media outreach. Finally the survey gave staff more insight into how the Capay Valley Grown partners perceive and utilize the partnership. Also it has set up a baseline for us to evaluate our progress again in a few years.
Publications
- Derden-Little, Erin and Gail Feenstra. 2006. An Evaluation of Capay Valley Grown: Report on the Findings from a Partner and Consumer Survey. Davis, CA: UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. [http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cdpp/foodsystems/sustaining.htm].
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
In 2004/2005, we conducted a study of the regional agricultural marketing programs throughout California. The study was initiated to provide background information for the Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner and an advisory committee, formed to explore the development of a Yolo County organic label. UC SAREP agreed to gather and analyze data about the regional agricultural marketing programs emerging throughout the state (including those that focus on organic marketing), to determine the feasibility of creating a local and/or organic label and marketing effort in Yolo County. In the winter of 2005 more than 25 individuals associated with regional agricultural marketing programs, statewide commodity boards, and the statewide Buy California Initiative were interviewed. Information from twelve existing programs and three which no longer exist were summarized. The study describes the efforts of a dozen regional agricultural marketing programs that have formed to date,
the challenges they have faced, the costs they have incurred, the economic contributions they have made to their counties, and the opportunities they have created in their communities. In particular, we were interested in describing a cost/benefit analysis for farmers and communities in other regions of the state who are interested in potentially starting a similar program in their counties. The study has been completed and shared with agricultural marketing experts representing many of these marketing programs and will soon appear on SAREPs website. Two presentations about the study results were also given in November 2005-- at the California Small Farm Conference and at a Marketing Learning Community meeting organized by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. Yolo Local/Organic Label Survey During the summer of 2005, a short telephone survey of Yolo County and Bay area producers, agricultural businesses, processors and retail buyers was conducted as a supplement to the
Agricultural Marketing Study. Participants were queried about their interest in a local and/or organic label and their willingness to pay for the creation of a local marketing program. The results of this survey are currently being analyzed and will be made available on SAREPs website in the spring of 2006. Mandarin Marketing Study We completed a final revision of the Mandarin Marketing study we conducted for Placer County mandarin growers last year. We are printing hard copies of the study for distribution to policymakers (Board of Supervisors, Ag Commissioner and others) in Placer County as well as study participants. The study will also appear on SAREPs website.
Impacts
The Placer County Agricultural Marketing Director plans to distribute the Mandarin Marketing report widely. First and foremost, the report will provide needed information to Placer County mandarin growers who are searching for new marketing venues for recent bumper crops of mandarins. In addition to local farmers, it will be shared with Placer County policymakers with the intent of convincing them of the importance of supporting regional agriculture and marketing efforts. The Placer County Marketing Director hopes to use this report in a larger effort to limit urban development in the Placer County foothills and preserve more land for agriculture. The Regional Agriculture Marketing Program study is already being read and used by new, emerging agricultural marketing groups to assess what it takes to initiate and sustain such a program. In particular, it is being studied by the Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner as the county decides if and how it might create a
local/organic label. The telephone survey conducted with regional stakeholders will provide insights for the Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner and other decision-makers as they decide how much demand there is for a local/organic label in Yolo County and whether businesses are willing to pay for it. The data gathered in this survey could help in future organizing, fundraising and outreach.
Publications
- Derden-Little, Erin and Gail Feenstra. 2005. Regional Agricultural Marketing: A Review of Programs in California. Davis, CA: UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
- Ricks, Heather, Erin Derden-Little and Gail Feenstra. 2005. Assessing the Local Marketing Potential for Mandarin Growers in Placer County. Davis, CA: UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
- Chaney, David, Gail Feenstra and Jeri Ohmart. 2004. Direct Marketing Resource Guide (eds). http://www.sare.org/publications/dmrg.htm
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
Mandarin Marketing This year, we focused our work in Placer County. Several new commodities, including mandarins, have emerged in Placer County in the last few years, but the marketing channels remain limited. We agreed to do an assessment of the regional marketing potential for Placer County mandarin growers. The mandarin report, which is undergoing final revisions, is composed of five sections: (1) an assessment of the current market supply of mandarins in Placer County (with comparisons to California, the U.S. and world markets); (2) an assessment of the current market demand for citrus and mandarins in Placer County (with comparisons to the U.S.); (3) a summary of the current marketing channels for mandarins within Placer County and the extent to which growers are using various channels; (4) a summary of the barriers facing Placer County mandarin growers and (5) an assessment of potential outreach and marketing strategies and ideas for future growth. Preliminary
figures suggest that there is significant potential for increasing farm income through regional marketing channels. The completed report will be posted on SAREP's website. The majority of mandarin growers in the county were interviewed. We also attended many meetings of the newly formed association of mandarin growers. One outreach strategy created was the 'Mountain Mandarin Magic Farm Tour' which will bring the public out to Placer County mandarin farms. Organizers expect thousands of people to visit Placer County farms, increasing mandarin sales substantially. Mandarin growers in nearby Butte and Glenn counties invited the Placer County agricultural marketing coordinator and SAREP to share information with them about how to expand the marketing potential of mandarins in their counties. Since that meeting, we have written several joint grant proposals that will allow us to work together to research new marketing venues (such as farm-to-cafeteria and other marketing options) and
examine the possibility of establishing a firmer regional identity for Butte and Glenn County agricultural products. Hoshigaki Japanese Hand-dried Persimmons County stakeholders also wanted to explore the potential for raising the visibility of Hoshigaki: the art of Japanese hand-dried persimmons. First and second generation Japanese farmers make up a significant portion of the small and medium sized family farms in Placer County. We involved a group of graduate students who were interested in reporting on this ancient art and assessing the potential for expanding the demand through regional marketing venues. A full report of their work is available on SAREP's website. Students also developed a brochure, 1,000 of which were reprinted for distribution throughout Placer County. Indicators for a Sustainable California Food System We have been working with Ecotrust, a nonprofit organization, to develop a 'Vivid Picture of a Sustainable Food System in California' (see
www.vividpicture.net.) Funded by the Roots of Change Fund, the project is designed to generate a blueprint for a sustainable food system, and a change agenda to achieve the vision. SAREP is developing the indicators for the project.
Impacts
It is still too early in the season to judge the impact of the Placer County marketing strategies. We have been told that our presence at the newly formed Mandarin Growers' meetings provided credibility and encouraged other growers to attend. These meetings resulted in at least one new outreach strategy-the 'Mountain Mandarin Magic Farm Tour.' Information from the draft report has been used as an example to other northern California counties interested in expanding their own mandarin marketing. Partnerships have developed between SAREP, and Placer, Butte and Glenn County Cooperative Extension personnel and local growers interested in future marketing research and implementation. Two grant proposals have been written already. We have not measured the impact of the Hoshigaki Report; however, the Placer County marketing coordinator has been getting more calls as a result of the report posted on SAREP's website. We are still in process on developing the Vivid Picture
Project indicators, so the impact of these will not be apparent for at least one year.
Publications
- Blumberg, Renata, Jennifer Campos, Nathan Cole, Benjamin Lewis, Catherine Moravec, Michael Paine and Heather Ricks. 2004. Hoshigaki: Preserving the Art of Hand Dried Persimmons. UC Davis: UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program. [http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cdpp/foodsystems/]
- Graham, Heather, Gail Feenstra, Ann M. Evans, and Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr. 2004. Creating a school environment to support life long healthy eating habits in children. California Agriculture (October-December), 58(4): 200-205.
- C. Clare Hinrichs, Gilbert W. Gillespie and Gail W. Feenstra. 2004. Social learning and innovation at retail farmers' markets. Rural Sociology. 69: 31-58.
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
Objective 1: Collaborate with local food system stakeholders to identify high priority information needs and the forms in which information should be shared. We discussed outreach for the products of our research informally with stakeholders in all three counties and decided to make information available on our website at: www.sarep.ucdavis.edu. The three foodshed studies (Placer, Alameda and Stanislaus) are available on this site. In addition, we have added a report from more extensive interviews on opportunities and challenges in Stanislaus County and six farm business case studies that illustrate how innovative growers and processors are dealing with these challenges. Objective 2: Identify and analyze ongoing and potential forces that are maintaining or transforming the relationships between localities ad their food systems. We focused our efforts in Stanislaus county for this objective. We identified 6-8 important stakeholders in Stanislaus County who had long
experience in working in agriculture, planning or ag/food education throughout the county. They are well known to most other food system stakeholders in the county. Through interviews with them as well as more than a dozen individual farm/processing businesses, we identified 4 key forces that have transformed agriculture in Stanislaus County: 1) global agricultural trade, 2) urbanization, 3) labor issues, and 4) environmental regulations/compliance. Objective 3: Examine the diverse strategies local food system stakeholders are currently using or might use to create and manage ongoing or potential change in the food system. Through contacts provided by the stakeholders above, we identified about a dozen innovative farm/processing businesses that were attempting in various ways to sustain the local food system while remaining profitable. We decided on a set of criteria by which we would choose some of these businesses for case studies. Then, through extensive interviews with these
innovators, we wrote up five (and two more on the way) brief case studies that highlight some of their innovations (particularly in marketing) and why they have made these decisions. Taken together, these case studies provide insights into the challenges and opportunities small to medium scale growers and processors face in Californias Central Valley. In addition to work in Stanislaus County, we have completed our California case studies on farmers markets and innovative marketing strategies that are connected to farmers markets. One of these markets, the Saturday Stockton Farmers Market, is in Stanislaus County. All farmers market case studies are also up on SAREPs website. Based on these case studies, we are co-authoring a chapter for Remaking the North American Food System, a new book edited by Clare Hinrichs and Tom Lyson.
Impacts
Impact for this year: We have had many requests for our foodshed reports from California to North Carolina. These reports have provided models for other regions that are interested in conducting food system assessments in their areas. We were asked to present our foodshed work in June at a statewide workshop on food system assessments sponsored by the Community Food Security Coalition. Within Stanislaus County, the acting director of Stanislaus County Cooperative Extension has appreciated our data and the contacts the Stanislaus foodshed report has generated for him. When Senator Machado (from Stanislaus County) visited the Davis Farmers Market this spring, he was also very interested in the report and our new findings in Stanislaus County and asked for a copy. Also, a resident of Stanislaus County who is involved with the Stanislaus Farmland Trust read our study and asked our permission to quote portions of it in his work. He represents several farmers in the area
who are in discussion with the Farmland Trust and are trying to sell the development rights to 425 acres of prime farmland. He said the study would be helpful when it came to the fund procurement portion of the project.
Publications
- Feenstra, Gail, Christopher Lewis, C. Clare Hinrichs, Gilbert Gillespie, Jr., and Duncan Hilchey. 2003. Entrepreneurial outcomes and enterprise size in U.S. retail farmers markets. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 18(1): 46-55.
- Feenstra, Gail, Jeri Ohmart and David Chaney; with contributions from Mark Mulcahy and Kris Pustina. 2003. Selling Directly to Restaurants and Retailers. [http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cdpp/selldirect.pdf]. University of California, Davis: UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program.
- Hinrichs, C. Clare, Gilbert W. Gillespie and Gail W. Feenstra. 2003. Social learning and innovation at retail farmers markets. Rural Sociology. Accepted for publication.
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