In a small family acreage in nearby Capay Valley, farmers Annie and Jeff Main have worked their land for more than 30 years so they may provide diverse, organic produce to the local community. But the threat of increasing costs, commercial development and their approaching retirement motivated the Mains to take action and collaborate with the community to preserve their farm, Good Hummus Produce.  Starting about 10 years ago, the Mains have devoted themselves to not only preserving their own land, but making all family-operated farmland accessible and affordable for future generations. Realizing the challenge that the community faces as the owners of local organic farms reach retirement

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op brought a fresh perspective to sustainable farming last Friday. Forty community members gathered for a screening of “Fresh: The movie”— a film by Ana Sofia Jones that focuses on sustainable agriculture. Proceeds from the film sales will benefit the co-op’s One Farm at a Time project. The documentary follows sustainable farmers in America, including pig farmers, chicken farmers and an urban farmer  who farms in the middle of a metropolitan city, to demonstrate the contrast to industrial mass-produced agriculture. “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” author Michael Pollan said in the film that “cheap food is an illusion.” Feed lots used in factory farming that hold

In March, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launched California Green Corps, in order to place at-risk young adults aged 16-24 into jobs in California’s emerging green economy. The Center for Land-Based Learning is one of the three youth service providers in the greater Sacramento region, serving a total of 130 youth. CLBL is serving 25 of those 130 youth, aged 16-19 years old, for summer work experience in sustainable agriculture, natural resource conservation, and habitat restoration. The Center for Land-Based Learning is well known for their two model high school programs, the FARMS Leadership and SLEWS Programs, that reach out to inner-city students and introduce them to a new worl

Members of the Regional Food System Collaborative (RFC) turned their attention again Thursday morning to improving the region's food system. The gathering, hosted by Valley Vision, couldn't have been held at a more fitting location. While colleagues gathered inside the Sacramento Food Bank, the hungry lined up outside to receive bags of free food. Attendees came from local organizations that have a stake in our food system and share common goals: improving our eating habits and the way the local food system functions. The discussion was facilitated by Valley Vision's Bill Mueller and the group of more than 50 broke into three subgroups to put their plans for change into action. The coll