West Marin, with its deep-rooted history from the Miwok people to today, has long been a vital hub for food production, distinctly different from the surrounding urban centers and densely populated suburbs. But did you know that engaging with local farms is also a climate-smart practice that strengthens community resilience? Investing in the West Marin marketplace—whether by shopping at local farmstands and farmers’ markets or purchasing locally produced foods from our brick-and-mortar markets and restaurants—builds this resilience while supporting the local economy. Small farms, farmstands and shops are providing food that strengthens our community’s resilience against both short-term disruptions and long-term impacts of climate change. To learn more, visit MALT’s website and refer to the local-producers directory.
As consumers, we can actively engage in and support local food production in an ever-changing world. We encourage everyone who lives, works or enjoys food in West Marin to recognize the benefits of purchasing food locally. Choosing local options reduces the need for transportation, thereby reducing food’s carbon footprint and supporting our local farmers and producers while fostering a sustainable food system. By purchasing locally produced fruits, vegetables, oysters, meat, milk, eggs, butter, cheese, ice cream, wine, mead and more, we help ensure that our community of food producers thrives.
The West Marin Climate Action’s Local Food Group has developed a dynamic and collaborative relationship with the West Marin Food Systems Group. Together, we co-founded the West Marin Glean Team in partnership with Extra Food’s Share the Bounty Program and U.C. Cooperative Extension. Over the past three years, our collective efforts have supported small local farms and farmstands and highlighted their importance to West Marin. We have worked together to enhance food resilience, reduce food waste and strengthen the local food system, ensuring that fresh, locally produced food is accessible to all members of our community.
One reason the West Marin Climate Action’s Local Food Group is spotlighting small farms, farmstands and food producers is to honor the commitment made by the West Marin Glean Team to our local farmers. This agreement ensures that any surplus food grown by farmers, which is not going to market, is redirected to local food pantries, including at West Marin Community Services, the Bolinas Community Center, the Tomales Town Hall and the San Geronimo Valley Community Center, as well as to local schools and older adult sites. Last year, working with Fresh Run Farms in Bolinas and residents with fruit trees and productive gardens, we gleaned and donated over 3,233 pounds of fruits and vegetables locally through Extra Food.
In return for this partnership, we assure farmers that the West Marin Food Systems Group is dedicated to supporting and promoting their businesses. We are committed to elevating their food enterprises, promoting the places where their products are sold and working across the food systems landscape to engage consumers and stakeholders, ensuring access to these locally produced foods.
Supporting local farms can involve purchasing food directly from farmstands or buying locally produced food at small markets and restaurants. Signing up for a community supported agriculture, or C.S.A., box is another crucial step toward sustainability, building predictability into the business model of small farms. Additionally, you can sign up for the West Marin Glean Team to help with harvesting, planting and mitigating climate impacts—such as protecting greenhouses and row crops from atmospheric rivers and other disruptions. With labor challenges often exacerbated by housing shortages, your participation is more crucial than ever in maintaining the resilience and productivity of our local farms.
The West Marin Food Systems School Wellness Initiative recently received a Collaborative Impact Grant from the West Marin Fund. This grant will help us strengthen the connection between the four West Marin school districts and local farms. Each school’s food service team, which includes site administrators, food service staff and chief business officers, will collaborate on planning menus and developing crop plans with local farmers, enabling them to purchase produce directly from small farms. To achieve this, we are partnering with field experts such as Turning Green, Alice Waters Institute, Conscious Kitchen and food systems consultants from Innovative Health Solutions and Third I Communications.
This opportunity aims to build on our existing efforts, boost economic activity for local farms and cultivate relationships that keep local tax dollars within the community. By growing the potential for school districts to spend their budgets locally, we support farmers—many of whom have children enrolled in our schools—and thereby strengthen the community. This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to increase access to fresh, high-quality food in West Marin schools. Together, we will unlock the potential within the broader food systems landscape, supporting local agricultural producers while improving community health.
Madeline Nieto Hope is a lead for West Marin Climate Action’s Local Food and Waste and Consumption Groups and provides backbone support for the West Marin Food Systems Group, which collaborates on initiatives in school wellness, farms and gardens, and community meals. She lives in Inverness Park.