Community Alliance with Family Farmers

CAFF’s program work is focused in four main areas:  (1) Biological Agriculture, which has worked closely with many farmers to move them towards ecologically sustainable farming practices, (2) Local Food Systems, which includes our Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaign and the Bay Area Growers Collaborative (3) the Farm to School Program, and (4) Policy. Buy Fresh Buy Local has been actively working to connect consumers with locally grown produce on the Central Coast for six years. The campaign has partnered with retailers, restaurants, farmers markets and farmers to produce several editions of the Buy Fresh Buy Local Food Guide, host events, label local produce and design and implement the Spanish language campaign—Compre Lo Fresco de Nuestra Region. Bay Area Growers Collaborative is a licensed social venture produce distributor which brings our small farmers together to sell their produce to institutions like schools and hospitals. Our Policy work advocates for family farmers, food safety, water policies, and sustainable farming.

The Farm to School Program has provided agriculturally-based nutrition education in the cafeteria and classroom throughout the Central Coast since 2002. The True Farmer Invasion (begun in 2007) has successfully brought the previously elementary-level Farm to School program to older youth.

CAFF works across the state of California, with offices in Davis, Oakland, Ventura, Humboldt, Fresno and Watsonville.  For more information about CAFF’s programs please visit www.caff.org.

PO Box 363
Davis, CA 95617
http://www.caff.org/

Contact Information:
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Ildi Carlisle-Cummins

Share
Students help sell produce at the Watsonville Farmers Market.
Weeding at the Watsonville High School garden.
Building a raised garden bed at Watsonville High School.
Working on the high school's compost pile.
Awards Granted
  • 2009 Impact Fund

    $35,000 towards a collaborative project based at Watsonville High Agricultural Academy that connects youth with local farms practicing good environmental stewardship. The True Farmer Invasion Program offers hands-on education that emphasizes agricultural conservation, farm-fresh foods, and related job opportunities.

  • 2007 Collaboration Fund

    $75,000 to engage youth with their environment by connecting them with local farms and farmers modeling good land stewardship and sustainable practices. Building on a successful program for younger students, CAFF will partner with a variety of youth-serving organizations to offer hands-on food and farming education that emphasizes farming conservation practices, healthy farm-fresh foods and agricultural job opportunities.

  • 2008 Collaboration Fund

    $55,000 towards a collaboration that brings together schools, non-profits, agencies and the farming community to provide hands-on food and farming education that emphasizes farming conservation practices, healthy farm-fresh foods and agricultural job opportunities for youth of the farm labor community. The collaboration is creating a strong coalition of partners that offer local youth education, experience and knowledge about farming and farm careers. The goal of the coalition is to present youth with an alternative to the “pick and pack” experience of many of the youths” parents and explore alternative ways to make a living in the farming community. This is the second year of this project, funded by the Stewardship Council, and CAFF intends to strengthen Watsonville community and youth participation.

Site Search

Advanced Search
KQED

Click here to listen to the recent KQED program on youth and Adventure Education.

Please Join the Effort

The Outdoor Youth Providers network welcomes your program data and input to best serve the field. Please share this database and ask your partner organizations to join.
Outdoor Youth Providers Database

Grantee Report

To file and upload grantee report please
CLICK HERE