In collaboration with California District 55 Assemblymember Isaac Bryan’s office, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Urban Agriculture Grant Program Lead Sara Bernal recently toured Los Angeles County’s hyperlocal food system. The interactive experience allowed CDFA to better understand how the new Urban Agriculture Grant Program can support the area’s urban agriculture efforts.
The visit included touring four urban farm sites, one emergency food distribution hub and community café, and a local food purveyor. The tour displayed a growing interest in urban agriculture and potential strengths in LA’s urban food landscape. It included everything from food production, distribution, consumption and disposal in the form of community composting.
Thirty community members joined the tour, including city parks and recreation staff, local residents, community organizers and urban farmers. After the tour, Bernal gave a 45-minute presentation and held and open forum. The listening session led to discussion of collaboration and positivity for the future of urban agriculture in California. The stakeholder feedback is being incorporated into the upcoming $6 million Urban Agriculture Grant Program set to open from CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork later this year.