San Diego Food System Alliance’s Post

🥕 Let's talk business 📈 Yup, that's right, farming is one challenging business. It takes meticulous planning, patience, and knowledge of the land. And while we know our local farmers and farmworkers are determined to provide our communities with an abundance of nourishing produce and protein all year round, it shouldn't be at the expense of their physical, mental, and financial health. In August, we are focusing on business and marketing, highlighting the importance of ensuring financial stability for local farms while aiming for abundant harvests. Remember, if our local food system thrives sustainably, we all do. 🤝 👩🌾 If you are a farmer looking for guidance on this topic, check out our ATTRA resources here: https://lnkd.in/gQaSyjAq or don't hesitate and reach out to our sustainable ag specialists at 1-800-346-9140, or use the chat function on our website attra.ncat.org. Let's #buylocal, be curious about our food, and remember small farms are #localbusiness too.

good product for your kitchen

🐓 How #chickens could and should be raised and how to structure business with an #indigenous mindset. Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, CEO of Tree-Range® Farms is the last guest of the 2023 on the #Investing in #RegenerativeAgriculture and #Food. Dive deep in the conversation ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d539N7xi

The other day, I received a lump of failed scaffolding board and some decommissioned firehose in the post. Sounds strange, right? But some of you will know why this is significant. It marks confirmation that Reverberate PR | Certified B Corp has been certified as a B Corp. I am really proud of this, as it marks an important step in our journey as a purpose-led business. But it is not an endpoint - we have so much more to achieve. The challenges facing the agriculture sector that we serve are immense. Our mission is to be the strategic communications partner supporting those in the agriculture and food supply chain to navigate these challenges for commercial success, enabling change through deep insight and intelligence. Everyone has a vested interest in fixing the food system. The future depends on us all addressing the climate, nature and biodiversity emergencies whilst delivering affordable, nutritious and safe food to all. Rural communities can only thrive if those in the food supply chain achieve this. What’s more, those in agricultural supply chains, from farmers to agricultural suppliers, food processors, food brands and grocery retailers will only flourish if they work together and play their part in addressing the issues we all face. The next few years are going to see huge change in the agri-food sectors, and I am confident that our team is well-placed to support this change through impactful communication. Now, that’s quite enough of me celebrating - we’ve got a food system to help transform! B Lab UK #BCorp #foodsystem #FutureFood #agriculture 

https://lnkd.in/gKnRQmdU To boost cassava production in Kenya, a multifaceted approach is essential. First, investment in agricultural extension services and farmer education programs is crucial to disseminating best practices and raising awareness about improved cultivation techniques. #EducationForFarmers Second, providing smallholder farmers access to high-quality seeds, fertilizers, and pest management solutions can significantly enhance yields. #AccessToInputs Additionally, strengthening rural infrastructure, including roads and market facilities, is vital for reducing post-harvest losses and improving market access for farmers. #InfrastructureDevelopment Furthermore, fostering research and innovation in cassava breeding, disease resistance, and value addition can unlock the crop's full potential. #ResearchAndInnovation Lastly, supportive policies and incentives, such as subsidized inputs and market guarantees, are essential for incentivizing investment in cassava farming and ensuring its economic viability. #PolicySupport The CASSAVANOURISH VENTURES initiative will prioritize creating awareness as a cornerstone of its strategy to increase cassava production in Kenya. The initiative will ensure that farmers across the country are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to cultivate cassava effectively through targeted educational campaigns, farmer training programs, and community outreach efforts. By emphasizing the nutritional benefits, economic opportunities, and environmental sustainability of cassava farming, CASSAVANOURISH VENTURES aims to inspire widespread participation in the cassava value chain, ultimately contributing to food security and rural development.

📢 Another insightful discussion on the importance of the agriculture sector and value addition through enterprise in Zambia. This feature organized by Self Help Africa, featured the participation of ENTERPRISE Zambia Challenge Fund. Helen Mwanza, the Portfolio Manager of ENTERPRISE Zambia, eloquently highlighted the immense opportunities that value addition brings to the agriculture sector in Zambia. It was truly inspiring to hear about the positive impact this project is making. On behalf of COMACO I had the privilege of sharing particularly on the remarkable efforts in increasing farmer engagement through the support of EU. Through sustainably producing crops and selling them through the 'It's Wild' range, not only have we improved livelihoods but also paved the way for a sustainable future for many rural farmers. Another impressive initiative was shared by Mary Sitali, who shed light on Nokamu Enterprises. With support from the EU-funded ENTERPRISE Zambia project, they have expanded their sunflower outgrower scheme, ensuring a sustainable supply of high-quality sunflower for processing their renowned 'Ulimi Wanga' cooking oil brand. If you're interested in gaining valuable insights into the power of value addition and its impact on farmers' lives, I highly recommend watching the full video of the event here: A special thanks to Self Help Africa, Imani Development, and the European Union for their unwavering support and funding of the ENTERPRISE Zambia project. Together, we can continue to create a brighter future for the agriculture sector in Zambia. #ENTERPRISEZambia #Agriculture #ValueAddition #SustainableFuture #Zambia

Having a farmer partner come to visit is always a treat. Silvia Herrera spoke to the whole company about what life is like for members of Mexican cooperative Ejidos San Fernando. There’s nothing like hearing first-hand from farmers to understand their experience. The take-away was clear – they need to be paid fairly to do basic things like feed their families. The coffee industry won’t survive without its growers. And they won’t survive if they can’t invest in their farms and take care of their families.  Through our (direct!) farmer relationships we find out what they need to do that – then make sure they get it. It’s the only way to guarantee the future of good coffee.  As Silvia puts it “Cafédirect shows there are alternative ways of working  – partnerships, where all the voices are equal. We’re sharing values – like caring for people and the environment.” Does anyone else have examples of farmers voices being heard in supply chains?

EVER SIT ON ONE OF THOSE BOARDS YOU HOPE THEY LET YOU STAY ON FOREVER? I guess it must be in the name: for me, it's Agriculture for Life. I started as a seedling director more than a decade ago when I worked with a company, Glacier FarmMedia, that is one of the Agriculture for Life founding partners. We do a wide range of things, with a great staff who partners with a great board. But all our initiatives, as diverse as they are, point to one highly resolved focus: creating and nurturing awareness around the uber-critical role the #agrifood sector plays in Canada's overall well-being. Then there's the country's global reputation as a sustainable agtech innovator and world food producer. And don't get me started on all the important work we do in the #farmsafety space. One of our latest efforts, of which we are very proud, is a unique energy-agriculture strategic advisory committee. Composed of more than 50 leaders from both sectors, we're focused on how cross-sectoral collaboration can crack some of the big challenges both industries face on air, water and land issues. The staff recently put together a very cool #yearbook for our stakeholders, reviewing our activities in 2023. Whether you gauge impact by the numbers, or by the context, it's powerful reading and well worth sharing to the broader community. Here's the link: https://lnkd.in/gWexh4nY. Take a look. Your amazement will be summed up in one word: impact! James Sweetman Luree Williamson Hon. Ted Menzies, P.C. Liam Whitelaw, PMP Ben Graham Ed White Mark Salkeld Kim Sturgess Cynthia Devere-Bennett Fred Wall Wendy Ell Dagmar H. Knutson Jason Bradley Alexandria Shrake Kim McConnell Art Froehlich Stuart Cullum Beth Halford RJ Sigurdson

🔴Discover our #COCOREADOAmbassadors🔴 Peter Schön➡️Farmers' Markets, an old concept for the future 🥕🍏Like every Saturday morning, COCOREADO Ambassador Peter Schön visits the local farmers market of Oberwart (A). Farmers markets have been around for centuries but their importance decreased drastically with the rise of supermarkets. Nowadays in many rural and urban areas, they are rarely found and often the products are offered at a high price. Originally farmers' markets are meant to provide the daily necessities for people, by the farmer to the consumer, directly! This allows for exchange between both parties about the range and quality of products and the pricing. Ultimately this helps build trust and guarantees the farmer receives a fair price. The market in the video is located in a south-eastern Austrian town, near the Hungarian border, and is a wonderful example of a vibrant farmers market in the 21st century. This age-old concept is a feasible strategy for future food systems, among many other ideas COCOREADO is investigating. https://lnkd.in/dFDXqiHT

Shifting from ‘clockwork’ to ‘cloudwork’ approaches. Food and agriculture systems are more like clouds than clocks. This means, the challenges food systems are facing, are immensely complex, multi-dimensional and ever changing: they need to be addressed systemically. This mindset shift for many international development organisations has far reaching implications for: 🌐The funding, design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of projects, programmes and portfolios. 💡Organisational culture, policies, procedures and the type of skillsets required by international development practitioners. 📈Wider systemic incentives in how donors fund and think about impacts Read the recommendations from global food systems experts in our latest report "Navigating Complexity in Food Systems: From Clockwork to Cloudwork" here: https://lnkd.in/dnjdw7qY