Discussion Group: Activating Ecological Farmers' Voices in California Policy

A surprising amount of policy that affects farmers – including labor, farmers markets, pesticides and more – takes place at the state level. Conventional agriculture knows this and has a strong voice in Sacramento, while ecological agriculture has only the smallest presence there. This needs to change. We need to create a voice that will speak for the small, family, ecological farm. We’ll talk about how to accomplish this, how to organize, and what people might like to see and do. We’ll try to talk in the context of a specific bill, perhaps a proposed bill permitting more non-food items in Certified Farmers Markets. Facilitated by Peter Ruddock, California Food Policy Council, Hollister, CA.