California’s Specialty Crop
Workforce Development Program
Career Pathways, Future Jobs, and Local Food Systems

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2. California’s Specialty Crop Workforce Development Program

Providing Services for:

• Growers & Processors
• Local & Regional Food Systems
• Socially Disadvantaged Farmers & Farmworkers

Supporting:

• Specialty Crop Employer Training Needs
• Student Internships
• Agriculture Career Pathways within Community Colleges
• Skill Infrastructure Development (Ag Tech, Local Foods, Biologicals)
• Current and Future Agricultural Jobs Needs (Education/Certification)
• Counseling and Networking to Expand Local and Regional Food Systems
• Farmworker Resources

The California Specialty Crop Workforce Development Program works to align and upscale agricultural workforce skills and training needs to meet the requirements of specialty crop producers and processors. The program also supports the development and resilience of specialty crop businesses in local and regional food systems to expand economic opportunity.

High Road Training Partnerships — Industry led skills infrastructure supporting Regional economic growth for local communities

California’s specialty crop industry can help drive the agenda for where innovation is needed and identify growing and upcoming skills gaps. Individual companies, commodity groups and trade associations can also directly support innovation and research efforts for the betterment of food systems, on-farm education, training and employee development. Making California a better place to live because of what we grow and how we grow it.

Additional Resources

• California Farm to School Programs
• Underserved and Small Producer Program
• Farm2Food Accelerator Program
• Western Growers’ Center for Innovation & Ag Tech
• Farmer Resource Portal
• Farm and Farmworker Mental Health
• Fresno DRIVE’s Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) Initiative