Farmer-Community Connections and the Future of Ecological Agriculture in California |
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Authors: | Sonja Brodt Gail Feenstra Robin Kozloff Karen Klonsky Laura Tourte |
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Institution: | (1) Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Davis, California, USA;(2) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, University of California, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, California, CA 95616, USA;(3) Private Consultant, Davis, California, USA;(4) Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis, California, USA;(5) Santa Cruz County Cooperative Extension, Watsonville, California, USA |
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Abstract: | While questions about the environmental sustainability of contemporary farming practices and the socioeconomic viability of
rural communities are attracting increasing attention throughout the US, these two issues are rarely considered together.
This paper explores the current and potential connections between these two aspects of sustainability, using data on community
members’ and farmers’ views of agricultural issues in California’s Central Valley. These views were collected from a series
of individual and group interviews with biologically oriented and conventional farmers as well as community stakeholders.
Local marketing, farmland preservation, and perceptions of sustainable agriculture comprised the primary topics of discussion.
The mixed results indicate that, while many farmers and community members have a strong interest in these topics, sustainable
community development and the use of sustainable farming practices are seldom explicitly linked. On the other hand, many separate
efforts around the Valley to increase local marketing and agritourism, improve public education about agriculture, and organize
grassroots farmland preservation initiatives were documented. We conclude that linking these efforts more explicitly to sustainable
agriculture and promoting more engagement between ecologically oriented farmers and their communities could engender more
economic and political support for these farmers, helping them and their communities to achieve greater sustainability in
the long run.
Sonja Brodt is a former program evaluation specialist with the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program. Her current
research focuses on extension and adoption of integrated pest management strategies by California growers and the impacts
of pesticide safety training programs on farmworkers.
Gail Feenstra is a food systems analyst at the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP).
She coordinates SAREP’s Community Development and Public Policy grants program and conducts outreach and education to academic
and community-based groups to build their capacity and leadership skills for developing sustainable community food systems.
Robin Kozloff is a social science researcher and consultant in agricultural and land use policy.
Karen Klonsky is an extension specialist at the University of California at Davis in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
Her research focuses on the economic viability of organic and sustainable farming systems as well as the evolution of the
organic market.
Laura Tourte is county director and farm advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension in Santa Cruz County. Her research
and extension activities currently focus on farm management and marketing for small-scale growers. |
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Keywords: | California’ s Central Valley Community development Farmer-consumer connections Farmland preservation Local marketing Sustainable agriculture |
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