Wholesale channels that provide additional marketing options for small- to mid-sized, values-based producers, increase consumer access to their products, and participate in 'farm to fork' efforts are increasingly referred to as values-based supply chains (VBSCs).  Businesses within VBSCs that aggregate product from these kinds of producers are often referred to as food hubs. 

Consumers’ interest in knowing where their food comes from has contributed significantly to the recent growth of the specialty foods market.  The Beyond Fresh & Direct project team received a grant from USDA to identify ingredient sourcing opportunities in the specialty food business.

The number of farmers markets nationwide has increased more than ten-fold over the last few decades. Today there are more than 3,000 farmersmarkets bringing fresh, seasonal, high quality foods directly from local farms to enthusiastic customers in large and small communities throughout the U.S. Although farmersmarkets are known for connecting consumers directly with farmers, there has been little recognition of the way these markets help develop farm businesses and the economies of the host communities.

Our Agriculture marketing studies examines how specific counties or regions are responding to global economic and social trends by developing strategies that support more local or regional food systems.

The Kern County Food system Assessment is the product of collaboration among a broad range of stakeholders across the food system in Kern County, including farmers, retailers, consumers, public health and social service and agriculture professionals, educators, advocates, policymakers, regulators, and more. It is intended to serve as a catalyst for collaborative learning, relationship building, and community-based policy development to strengthen Kern County’s food system.

A sustainable community food system is a collaborative network that integrates sustainable food production, processing, distribution, consumption and waste management in order to enhance the environmental, economic and social health of a particular place. Farmers, consumers and communities partner to create a more locally based, self-reliant food economy.

One of the most important aspects of sustainable community food system projects is that they increase resident participation to achieve the following goals:
 

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) contracted with the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) to conduct a time and activity assessment among field workers in California’s caneberry sector. The assessment sought to answer several questions, principally the number of hours worked per day and activities field workers engaged in during the course of the year.

Methods included

(1) on-farm observations on two farms on the Central Coast during the period May-November 2014

Agritourism Intensive 2019 was a three-session agritourism planning course for farmers and ranchers offered in Santa Cruz and Calaveras Counties in winter 2019.

Calaveras County Agritourism Intensive agenda
Calaveras class flier

Agendas, presentations, handouts and other resources from the "Teaching and Supporting Agritourism" professional development workshops offered November 14 - 15, 2017 in Yolo County and January 22 - 23, 2018 in San Diego County