Lessons from an inspiring morning in Sacramento
California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross (right) and California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Diana Dooley hosted a June 24 gathering of community-based food system organizations.
Representatives of 17 of California’s 22 community-based food system organizations gathered at CDFA headquarters in Sacramento last week to spend a few hours with me and Secretary Diana Dooley from the California Health and Human Services Agency. Diana and I were glad to host the session and we feel the group gained a good deal of useful information by sharing their goals and methods with us and with each other.
The group was loosely formed around the shared principles of promoting a food supply that is local/regional, safe and wholesome. Other shared issues for many of the organizations include ecologically sound farming practices, water policy considerations, and the economic sustainability of farming.