Small Farms, Big Potential: Growing a Resilient Local Food System
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SMALL FARMS, BIG POTENTIAL: GROWING A RESILIENT LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM JANUARY 2020 FOOD SYSTEM ALLIANCE i SUPPORT I’m pleased to support the Santa Clara County Food System Alliance’s report on small farms. The report complements and reinforces the goals and recommendations of the Santa Clara Valley Agricultural Plan. The small parcels that make up the majority of our County’s remaining farmland are critical to our local food system. They provide much-needed opportunities for new and small farm operations to get established and grow food for County residents. In addition to contributing to our local food supply and food economy, small farms provide a variety of ecological services that strengthen our region’s climate resilience. By preserving our farmland, particularly small parcels at the urban edge, we maintain these benefits—benefits that are essential to the health of Santa Clara County’s people, communities, economy, and environment.” JOE SIMITIAN, PRESIDENT SANTA CLARA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS We know that California is losing 50,000 acres of farmland and rangeland a year. In Santa Clara County, the majority of remaining agriculture parcels are 40 acres or less, indicating the farms operating in the county are small in size. As we face a changing environment, our agricultural landscape poses many challenges for our farmers, both large and small. From maintaining fertile soil conditions to building dignified housing for our farmworkers, the need for adaptation continues to grow within our statewide and local agricultural policy frameworks. We must strive to institute strategies that will provide resources for technical support and education, increase access to farmland, and use a multi-faceted approach that will achieve sustainability for farmers and local food systems. I am proud of the work our local leaders are doing to get a better understanding of the issues facing our Agricultural communities.” STATE ASSEMBLYMEMBER ROBERT RIVAS, 30TH DISTRICT photo: Spade & Plow FOOD SYSTEM ALLIANCE iii SANTA CLARA COUNTY SMALL FARMS, BIG POTENTIAL: FOOD SYSTEM GROWING A RESILIENT LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM ALLIANCE It is our pleasure to present you with the Santa Clara County Food System Alliance’s report on the viability of small-scale agriculture in our county – Small Farms, Big Potential: Growing a Resilient Local Food System. In January of 2018 the County of Santa Clara and the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority adopted the Santa Clara Valley Agricultural Plan (Ag Plan), a strategic plan with a toolkit of policies and programs to curb the conversion of over 28,000 acres of viable farmland and rangeland to sprawl development. In the past 30 years alone, Santa Clara County has lost more than 21,000 acres of its working lands. Over the past 20 months, the Ag Plan has set into motion a great deal of activity and conversation about the past, present, and future roles for the uniquely peri-urban working lands and agricultural livelihoods in our county. One thing has become clear: the survival of agriculture in Santa Clara County is dependent upon the long-term viability of farming on small parcels, which make up the majority of farmland in the county and which are the most vulnerable to development. In the spirit of collaboration and cross-pollination, the Food System Alliance has researched and written the following report to further the conversation and momentum of the Ag Plan, with special attention paid to the viability of small-parcel farming. This subject matter is essential to understand for those of us dedicated to supporting Santa Clara County agriculture. This report represents a two-year effort carried by a multiplicity of stakeholders and perspectives. We invite you to dive in to the issues and opportunities facing our small farms, and we hope that you will join us in the ongoing work of investing in our working lands and cultivating agricultural resilience for our county and the greater Bay Area. Joseph Deviney Michael Meehan Agricultural Commissioner Agricultual Plan Program Manager Division of Agriculture Department of Planning & Development County of Santa Clara County of Santa Clara iv FOOD SYSTEM ALLIANCE SANTA CLARA FOOD SYSTEM ALLIANCE MEMBERS COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER MEMBERS Jacky Rivera Julie Hutcheson La Mesa Verde, Sacred Heart Community Service Committee for Green Foothills Katie Ettman Greg Leonard SPUR Land Trust of Santa Clara Valley Leslie Gray Raul Lozano Santa Clara University Valley Verde Danielle Hamilton Diego Ortiz Fresh Approach SPUR Cayce Hill Sam Thorp Veggielution Spade & Plow INSTITUTIONAL PARTNER MEMBERS Rob Bennaton Aparna Gazula University of California Cooperative Extension University of California Cooperative Extension Wei-Ting Chen Helena Roberts University of California Cooperative Extension County of Santa Clara, Division of Agriculture Joseph Deviney Aly Thompson County of Santa Clara, Division of Agriculture County of Santa Clara, Public Health Department Lucy Diekmann Eric Wylde University of California Cooperative Extension County of Santa Clara, Division of Agriculture LEAD AUTHORS CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS Lucy Diekmann Emily Barney Katie Ettman Diego Ortiz Leslie Gray Rob Bennaton Aparna Gazula Jessica Schweiger Julie Hutcheson Wei-Ting Chen Danielle Hamilton Aly Thompson Michael Meehan Joseph Deviney Greg Leonard Travis Osland FUNDING Funded by Measure Q, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Santa Clara University’s Center for Food Innovation and Entrepreneurship National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2014-67012-27506 The Alliance would also like to thank Kristian Barbeau, Shayal Kumar, Karen Luna, Lori Oleson, Helena Roberts, Karin Vosgueritchian, and the Santa Clara University Capstone Students (Winter 2017 and Winter 2018) for their contributions to the report. We would also like to thank Amie MacPhee and Candice Miller at Cultivate for the graphic design and report formatting. We are especially grateful to the farmers who participated in our survey and interviews. FOOD SYSTEM ALLIANCE v CONTENT 1 PREFACE CHAPTER ONE 3 INTRODUCTION CHAPTER TWO 11 LAY OF THE LAND FARMERS’ STORIES 20 SPADE & PLOW / FRANTOIO GROVE / SHUN-FAT NURSERY CHAPTER THREE 27 INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO PRESERVING FARMLAND AND SUPPORTING FARMERS FARMERS’ STORIES 46 JSM ORGANICS / ROOT DOWN FARM / VEGGIELUTION CHAPTER FOUR: 53 REGIONAL FOOD MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARMERS’ STORIES 62 OYA ORGANICS / PINK BARN FARM / BLUMA CHAPTER FIVE 69 RECOMMENDATIONS ACRONYMS 80 DEFINED TERMS ENDNOTES photo: Spade & Plow FOOD SYSTEM ALLIANCE 1 Through this report, the Alliance hopes to reinforce the role of small farms in the renewed conversation about the future of farmland and farming initiated by the Santa Clara Valley Agricultural Plan. PREFACE The Santa Clara County Food System Alliance (Alliance) is a collaborative of stakeholders concerned with issues of healthy food access, agricultural production, and food distribution in Santa Clara County. The Alliance developed this report as a tool to educate policymakers, food system stakeholders, and the general public about the challenges facing small farms in our county. It highlights opportunities to bolster small- scale farm operations through improved access to farmland, a more supportive community and policy environment, and expanded regional markets for county-grown produce. The report also provides practical recommendations that can serve as a foundation to make positive changes for current and prospective farmers in Santa Clara County. The Alliance gathered information for the report over a two-year period, beginning in winter 2017. In researching this topic, the Alliance drew on county and federal agricultural statistics and reviewed various assessments of agriculture in the Bay Area and California. With assistance from students at Santa Clara University, Alliance members interviewed and surveyed small-scale farmers in Santa Clara County and the surrounding region, and investigated successful models for supporting small farms from around the region and around the country. Alliance members also surveyed food service providers in the county. Through this report, the Alliance hopes to reinforce the role of small farms in the renewed conversation about the future of farmland and farming initiated by the Santa Clara Valley Agricultural Plan (Ag Plan). The Ag Plan, adopted by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in January 2018, outlines a framework for mitigating climate change while preserving Santa Clara County’s agricultural lands and supporting the regional agricultural economy. The Alliance’s report brings successful models for supporting the viability of small-scale farms to this larger initiative, with the shared goal of maintaining a robust and resilient food and farm system in Santa Clara County. photo: Spade & Plow FOOD SYSTEM ALLIANCE 3 Between 1992 & 2012, the United States lost 31 million acres of farmland. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Across the country, farmland near cities is threatened by development. Between 1992 and 2012, the United States lost 31 million acres of farmland. Nearly 60% of this land was lost to urban development, while the remainder was converted to low-density rural residential development. This farmland around urban areas is often our highest quality cropland, supplying 91% of domestically grown fruits, nuts, and berries, and 77% of domestically grown vegetables.1 The paradox of farming at the urban edge is that our most productive farmland—which is also in