San Mateo County Food System Alliance

San Mateo County Food System Alliance

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. For information about the next meeting click here. 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

Founding members of the Alliance also include:

• Ryan Casey, Blue House Farm, Pescadero
• Jim Cochran, Swanton Berry Farm
• Ned Conwell, Blue House Farm, Pescadero
• Karen Heisler, Pie Ranch
• Lisa Hellerich, The HEAL Project (Healthy Eating Active Living)
• Jered Lawson, Pie Ranch
• Scott Morrow, MD, MPH, San Mateo County Health Officer
• Kellyx Nelson, San Mateo County Resource Conservation District
• Pietro Parravano, Half Moon Bay
• Maureen Perron, Coastside Health Committee, Half Moon Bay
• Francine Serafin-Dickson, San Mateo resident
• Linda Shak, Prevention Institute
• Susan Stansbury, Executive Director
• Conexions: Partnerships for a Sustainable Future
• Erin Tormey, Coastside Farmers Market, Half Moon Bay
• April Vargas, Committee for Green Foothills
• Alane L. Weber, Sustainable San Mateo County
• Terry Witzel, Second Harvest Food Bank