CDFA SEEKS MEMBERS FOR NEW FARM TO COMMUNITY FOOD HUBS PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE

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SACRAMENTO, October 10, 2022 – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is seeking members for a new advisory committee to support the Farm to Community Food Hubs Program. The 10-member committee will advise the Secretary of Food and Agriculture on education, outreach and technical assistance for the program.

CDFA is seeking applications for 10 primary members, with three members from Northern California, three members from Central California, three members from Southern California and one member who is a farmer or rancher, selected from any region.
• Four members must be executives / managers of a food supply chain business, including a producer, processor or purchaser, headquartered in California.
• Four members must be executives / directors of a non-governmental organization or representative of an academic institution, including K-12 schools, with expertise in advancing food system improvements supportive of local food systems, equitable access to healthy food, labor in the food system, or climate-adaptive and climate-resilient food systems.
• One member must be a Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education Program representative, housed within the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
• One member must be a farmer or rancher who qualifies as one or more of the following: socially disadvantaged, beginning, limited resource, veteran, disabled, and/or operates a farm or ranch that is 500 acres or less.

Interested applicants should complete the Prospective Member Appointment Questionnaire, located on the Farm to Community Food Hubs Program webpage. Applicants will indicate the desired member position, obtain a letter of recommendation from a relevant agricultural industry representative and send both documents to CDFA via email to cafoodhubs@cdfa.ca.gov. Applications are due by October 30, 2022, for review and consideration.

CDFA’s Farm to Community Food Hub Program was established in the 2020-21 state budget to pilot investments in food aggregation and distribution infrastructure needed to increase purchases of local, environmentally sustainable, climate-smart, and equitably produced food by schools and other institutions; to build a better food system economy; to support the local farming economy; to accelerate climate adaptation and resilience; and to employ food system workers with fair wages and working conditions. The program provides $15 million in one-time funds to administer a grant program that creates or expands community-serving food hubs throughout the state. To learn more about the program, please visit: https://cafarmtofork.cdfa.ca.gov/F2CFHP.html

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