As part of CFJC’s ongoing efforts to ensure that food policy reflects the needs of our California communities, a major focus of the coalition is to work on the upcoming 2012 reauthorization process of the Farm Bill. As currently constructed, the Farm Bill has everything to do with the food we eat every day, and the reauthorization process provides a means to engage a wide variety of sectors, stakeholders and community residents in the effort to fix our broken food system.
Local Work
In order to discuss the biggest challenges with our current food system and what residents see as real solutions, CFJC is providing educational workshops and planning meetings statewide regarding the Farm Bill. These Farm Bill Sessions are meant to relate the Farm Bill to our daily lives, engage residents in discussion surrounding food access, quality, and nutrition, and bring people together to create positive changes in our food system.
CJFC has held seven sessions to date:
1. Oakland, February 2011
2. East Oakland, August 2011 (co-hosted by HOPE Collaborative and the Oakland Food Policy Council)
3. West Oakland, August 2011 (co-hosted by the HOPE Collaborative and the Oakland Food Policy Council)
4. San Diego, November 2011 (co-hosted by San Diego Hunger Coalition and Food and Water Watch)
5 & 6. Oakland High School – two workshops, January 2012
7. UC Santa Barbara, February 2012 (co-hosted by UCSB AS Environmental Affairs Board and Santa Barbara County Agrifood Systems)
To view an informational powerpoint presentation from one of our Farm Bill workshops, please view our Tools page.
Upcoming workshops
- Sacramento, June 27th: http://bit.ly/a58w5x
- Berkeley, July 9th: http://bit.ly/HHI1WJ
Want a Farm Bill workshop in your community?
CFJC works with other organizations and individuals to host Farm Bill workshops throughout California. If you wish to co-host a workshop in your community, please contact Lotta at lchan@cafoodjustice.org.
Kelly discusses health impacts of the Farm Bill | Sabrina leads overview of the authorization process | Armando highlights Farm Bill current news
National Work
To link local level concerns, solutions and actions with national reform, CFJC is participating in the Healthy Farms, Healthy People Coalition (HFHP) as a member of its national Steering Committee. HFHP is a national coalition whose members include the Public Health Institute, American Farmland Trust, Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Public Health Law & Policy, and the Centers for Disease Control.
If you want to participate in the conversation on food policy reform, please join our monthly CFJC Public Policy Calls, generally held on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 9am PST. Sessions are open to anyone interested in food system and food justice issues. For more information, please email cspach@cafoodjustice.org.
Together we can create a food system that works for all!