Innovations for a Local Food System
From RUCS Wiki
Rural-Urban Connections Strategy Sacramento Region Local Market Assessment
Section 2: Innovations for a Local Food System
prepared by:
Valley Vision
and
Sacramento Area Council of Governments
March 5, 2009
DRAFT
Background
Over the last several years, there has been a growing interest among consumers about the source of their food. What started as demand for “organic” food has evolved to demand for “locally- and sustainably-produced” food. Some people are concerned with food safety, others about taste and freshness, some with environmental benefits, while others view local food production as a vestige of our heritage worth preserving and enhancing. For producers, their customers’ concerns and interests are their own concerns and interests, provided that meeting these objectives correlates with meeting their financial bottom line. While enterprises and a body of literature have developed around the local food niche, there is a shortage of data to understand the impact of this movement on food systems in the SACOG region. Nonetheless, there are plenty of local market examples in each county in the region – some of which were seen on agriculture tours for the SACOG Board of Directors throughout 2008 – and enough interest with producers, retailers, and distributors in addition to consumers, that an entire working group for the Rural-Urban Connections Strategy (RUCS) project has been formed to better understand the opportunities for local markets and agritourism. These opportunities are part of the larger topic of new economic opportunities in agriculture and present a possible new revenue stream for farmers and ranchers.
To understand the challenges to fostering a market for local food, we first looked at how the current food system works. That current conditions paper can be found at www.sacog.org/rucs/wiki. Generally, what we found is that we have a food system that has evolved to support large-scale agriculture and large retailers. Food is trucked into and out of the region daily since the bulk of the production in the region meets very little of our demand. And even where we do grow enough of one crop or another, the conventional food system is not well suited to channel sufficient amounts of that crop directly to meet the local consumer demand. This disconnect means that “food flows” and “food miles of travel” are more extensive than they might be if local demand was better served with local production. It also means there is opportunity to more directly connect our local growers with local consumers and provide possible new markets for these growers.
Notwithstanding the current food system, local food systems are seen throughout the region in the increasing popularity of farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture boxes, agritourism, and nascent demand at restaurants, schools, and other institutions. This report outlines innovations that can expand demand in these venues and others, as well as ways to increase supply by farms and ranches that serve a local market. The RUCS team, with the help of the Local Market and Agritourism working group is exploring this topic to better understand the challenges and opportunities for a local food system. This work will help the region assess how changes in our food system may affect transportation needs and impacts, land use policies and land supply, regulations, labor, water, and other factors that affect the success of a local food system.
Objective 1: Increase Consumer Awareness: Education and Marketing Programs
Why is this important?
Consumer education and marketing may be seen as separate objectives; however, in many ways they often produce similar outcomes. Consumer education is important to build awareness of the benefits of purchasing and consuming fresh local foods and how to access it. Local marketing efforts help raise awareness and visibility of locally-focused agriculture operations and helps consumers identify and purchase local foods. In this way, many of the local marketing campaigns also double as education efforts. Both consumer education efforts and local food marketing programs happen at varying scales, ranging from one farm to one county to a region or entire state. Ultimately, successful efforts result in more consumers purchasing local foods directly or indirectly.
Innovations happening here
Local branding and marketing campaigns
Successful marketing and branding efforts can be found throughout the region at varying levels. Some marketing efforts can be seen on a single farm, others branding a region within a county, and still other efforts aimed at marketing the agriculture of the entire county. Examples include:
- Membership organization efforts such as PlacerGROWN, a nonprofit organization formed to help Placer County growers market their produce and agricultural products. PlacerGROWN has different levels of membership for community members, growers, and businesses. As a grower, membership benefits include a suite of marketing tools provided by PlacerGROWN, including logos, signage, and networking opportunities. All members benefit from the direct connection between the consumer and local producer.
- An agritourism-based effort is the Apple Hill Growers Association in El Dorado County. This cluster of agritourism operations has a distinctive character that provides a market identity for Apple Hill products. The Association has more than 50 members, including orchards, wineries, Christmas tree growers, a microbrewery and spa. Coordinated marketing efforts help enhance the visibility of the area, while reducing the need for each individual operation to promote itself.
- A county effort the “A Taste of Yolo,” is a marketing campaign launched by Yolo County to promote its agricultural products. The campaign highlights the agricultural values of the county and emphasizes seasonal foods and specialties such as olive oil, wine, and fresh produce.
Education efforts by food cooperatives and local grocers
The three food cooperatives in the region, Davis Food Cooperative, Sacramento Natural Foods Cooperative, and Noah’s Ark in Placerville, all offer opportunities to learn about the benefits of purchasing local foods through classes, printed material, and signage near the food. The cooperatives, as well as Whole Foods often have signs indicating the producers of meats and produce and other major grocers in the region are starting to follow suit. One event recently held by the Sacramento Natural Foods Cooperative to support local growers included a panelist of eight local growers discussing the opportunities and challenges of their operations. The event was attended by over 200 people.
Slow food movement and local participation
Slow Food is a non-profit, member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to, “counteract fast food, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.” While the organization has been around for some time, local chapters of the organization have started in Sacramento, Placer, and Yolo counties. These chapters support many events that showcase local foods and the people who use them in their restaurants or supply them in their stores.
Education for local chefs and restaurants
Other annual events focus on raising awareness among local chefs about what’s available locally and the benefits of buying local. Once or twice a year, Del Rio Botanicals in West Sacramento invites chefs from within the SACOG region and as far as the Bay Area to a dinner and farm tour focused on what’s in season and how it can be used. The Taste of Yolo, held in Capay Valley, also focuses on what’s available locally. The emphasis is on chef education but the public is also invited. In some cases, this education is transferred to the consumer when restaurants specify the source of their food on their menus.
Education for schools and low income communities
There are many examples in the region of organizations promoting local foods and educating the community about the benefits of buying local; many of these organizations target schools and low income communities. One example of this type of effort is Fresh Producers, a local student managed non-profit organization, that provides community education about the importance of including fresh produce in a healthy diet, and offers a possible way to shift to purchase of local foods. Fresh Producers offers students from low-income serving high schools the opportunity to earn income, learn about nutrition, and teach others the benefits of including fresh products in a healthy diet.
Production calendar
An education and/or marketing campaign could include a production calendar so consumers would know what’s available when. Many of the counties and individual farmers in the SACOG region have calendars available showing what is in season and when. A marketing/educational tool that could compliment these production calendars well is a “food atlas” (see the “regional food atlas innovation on page 4).
Supportive General Plan policies
Local policies that support educational efforts are also important in educating residents about the agriculture grown in their county.
- Placer County has a policy in its existing General Plan that, “…encourages educational programs to inform Placer County residents of the importance of protecting farmland” (Agriculture Element Policy 7.B.5).
- Yolo County’s Draft General Plan, policy AG 4.1 states, “Promote educational programs aimed at informing the general public about agriculture and the value of “working landscapes”.
- Sacramento County’s Draft General Plan, one of the implementation measures in the Agriculture Element is to, “establish educational programs that promote the importance of locally-grown agricultural products.”
Innovations happening elsewhere
Regional Branding
Development of a regional agricultural marketing campaign, and/or a regional brand, can enhance the viability of a region’s agricultural economy, highlight the diversity of the region and help connect and expand several related sectors, like agritourism, restaurants, and retail. Typically, this type of regional branding program is organized and maintained by a group of community stakeholders including but not limited to nonprofits, retailers, farmers’ markets, growers, public and private institutions. One example of this can be seen in western Minnesota in an organization called “Pride of the Prairie”. By establishing and marketing a brand that identifies the Upper Minnesota River Valley region and its local healthy foods, the organization promotes the production and use of local food and provides economic benefit to the local economy.
Buyer’s Guide
A buyer’s guide could increase buyers’ awareness of local farms, grower collaboratives, and produce. This guide would inform buyers about which farms specialize in what products, amounts produced and other information that would create a more convenient process for identifying local products. A buyer’s guide can work at any level of marketing, from an individual farm to a guide for an entire region. It can serve as both an education piece for the public and a marketing tool for farmers.
One example of this is the Buy Fresh, Buy Local Guide, produced for various California regions, by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF). The guide includes the location of information about local farmers. The CAFF website also has a unique online tool where users can type in their zip code and search for “fresh food” within 10 miles (or more) of their area.
Similarly, Sustainable Food Laboratory, a partnership of businesses and non-profits involved in global food and agriculture, created The Changing Vocabulary of Food Purchasing: A Guide for Foodservice Professionals. This guide provides people involved in the foodservice industry with information that includes seasonal produce, how to pick the best, how to use different parts of the produce, and information about any politics around that product.
Local food atlas
A local food atlas would be an important corollary to the calendar. Such an atlas would help residents understand the geography of local food production and the relationship of climate, soil types, water availability, topography, and scale to the production of different types of foods. It also serves as a local food guide as it also includes a directory of growers. One example of this is Wisconsin’s Fresh Farm Atlases. There are five atlases that cover the entire state (each atlas covers a different region within the state, covering several counties in one atlas). In this example, the atlases are produced by coalition of non-profit agencies, farmers, farmers markets, the Resource Conservation and Development program (RC&D), and the University of Wisconsin.
Education Materials Toolkit
FoodRoutes Network, a national non-profit organization, provides tools and information about building local, community based food systems. One of the unique tools on their website (foodroutes.org) is a toolkit of buy local education materials. The education materials are available for download, customizing, printing and distributing, free of charge.
Signage
In our region, many farms are limited by the local zoning code in the type, size, and amount of signage allowed. Similarly, counties with agricultural marketing campaigns can be limited on the size and placement of their signs along state routes. One example of a signage program that is designed to support local agricultural is the Agricultural Directional Signage Program, out of Massachusetts. To assist in the development and enhancement of Massachusetts agriculture, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and the Massachusetts Highway Department have partnered to create a program that allows for the placement of directional signage along state roadways for farms located off the roadway. The signs include the name of the farm and an arrow with the general direction of which the farm is located. Although there are several requirements, one of the incentives for farmers of local produce is that signs using the “Massachusetts grown and fresher!” logo are pre-approved. This type of signage program also supports agritourism, “Objective 2” in this paper.
Objective 2: Support Agritourism
Why is this important?
Agritourism is an important means to connect urban and suburban residents with the rural landscape, and can also provide new economic opportunities to local farms and ranches. As the name suggests, agritourism combines agriculture and tourism. It links the purchase of farms’ products with on farm experiences like picnicking, observing grazing animals, or picking fruit, pumpkins, or Christmas trees with family. Beyond sales of agricultural products, additional agritourism activities include farm stays, events, and educational programs. Agritourism can bring in jobs, sales tax and property tax revenue, increase visibility of local agriculture, and support family farm operations.
Innovations happening here
Supportive local policies
In our current conditions research, more than 450 agritourism destinations were identified throughout the region. Much of those are individual farms participating in a variety of agritourism opportunities, from farm stands to u-pick sites to wineries with a bed and breakfast. Clear and supportive policies from the local jurisdiction are one of the elements needed for successful agritourism businesses. In the SACOG region, all six counties have general plan policies that support and encourage agritourism opportunities. Some other examples of supportive local policies from our region include:
- Agricultural Districts in El Dorado County have zoning that allows, by right, packing, processing and sale of agricultural products and edible byproducts grown on-site. Zoning also allows the packing, processing and sale of agricultural products grown off-site in conjunction with the processing or sale of products produced on site.
- In its Draft General Plan, Yolo County defines for the first time an agricultural district in the Clarksburg area and has a policy to create additional agricultural districts in other parts of the county. In this example, the agricultural district is used to explore ways to encourage agricultural business development and expansion. The County is considering a number of tools which could be applied within the district to achieve this goal, including but not limited to designating specific economic focal points, subsidizing marketing efforts, and some regulatory relief.
- Both El Dorado and Placer County have adopted a Winery Ordinance. In both cases the ordinance serves to clarify the permitted on-site activities to attract customers as well as provide applicable rules for hosting special events—activities which have the potential to increase revenues.
- In July 1999, The California Agricultural Homestay Bill (AB 1258) was passed. This bill allows farmers and ranchers, who produce agricultural products as their primary source of income, to offer overnight visits for tourists without the same stringent requirements of operating a restaurant and hotel.
Agritourism clusters
An agritourism cluster is a network of related businesses that are close together geographically, share a market identity and a common vision and work closely together as well as with other local institutions and organizations. Agritourism clusters can sometimes attract more people and generate more sales for all of the businesses in the area. Apple Hill in El Dorado County is one example of an agritourism cluster.
Innovations happening elsewhere
Region-wide Agritourism Events and Agritourism Vacation Packages
During the first RUCS Local Market workshop, several participants developed the idea of starting some region-wide agritourism events to knit together the assets of our diverse agricultural counties. Already, local and county fairs and the state fair held in Sacramento provide venues and traditions for promoting local agricultural products. As well, many counties, via a Chamber of Commerce or local Farm Bureau, have annual agriculture tours for elected and civic leaders. Building from these local events, region-wide agritourism tours could provide a more cohesive approach to showcasing the full region of agriculture and products available from the Sacramento area landscape.
An example of such an effort is found in Minnesota where the Western Minnesota Prairie Water Tourism Coalition has banded five counties to promote their agriculture heritage and agritourism in those counties. The Coalition has found that marketing as a region lends credibility to each tourism site and increase visitations. The effort has recently become nested in a larger 13-county tourism effort, the Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway, which is promoting “Food for a Nation,” a tourism theme that connects a range of participants, from producers to processors to communities in this region.
Packaging agritourism with other activities in the area can help promote agritourism. A local example is in El Dorado County where white water rafting company, Adventure Connections, combines one day of rafting and one day of local wine tasting into a weekend package. Taking this package approach a step further, Kelowna, British Columbia offers a good example of how agritourism has become part of regional vacation packages that include a number of recreational activities, art galleries, annual events and festivals, accommodations, and restaurants.
Agritourism Directory
A directory of agritourism venues could help guide local and regional residents looking for a day or weekend outing as well as provide direction to tourists from outside the area wanting to experience the regions agricultural attractions. One example of this is the UC Small Farms Center’s California Agritourism Database. The website provides visitors and potential entrepreneurs with information about existing agritourism locations throughout the state.
Removing Regulatory Barriers
The idea of removing regulatory barriers is frequently a part of discussions about expanding agritourism.
Our research indicates that one of the barriers for agritourism operators is the ability to navigate the various regulating agencies. With many agritourism operations, businesses are walking the line between agriculture and commercial uses and it is not always clear which government agency or department is responsible for regulating the various components of the agritourism enterprise. Many government agencies are looking at ways to streamline the process and communicate the information more clearly. One example of this is in the State of Kentucky, where they have created an agritourism position to work directly farmers on state regulations affecting agriculture and tourism.
Objective 3: Expand Farm to Institution Opportunities and Programs
Why is this important?
Farm to institution programs offer farmers another way to sell their products locally, reaching a market that is larger than individual consumers, single restaurants or stores. Expanding farm to institution opportunities can increase sales of local produce and provide fresh local food to institutions such as hospitals and schools where access to nutritious food is important.
Innovations happening here
Farm to School Programs
There are several “farm to school” programs in the region. The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) has a Farm to School program that works with schools to purchase their produce from local farms. The CAFF program has helped over 100 schools in California purchase fresh food from local farms.
One of the CAFF partnerships in our region has been with the Davis Joint Unified School District in the Davis Farm to School Connection program. The Davis farm to school program is a district-wide program that began featuring fresh produce in its salad bars in 2001. In addition to providing nutritious food for the students, the program has an educational benefit too which includes local farm visits, classroom cooking, waste management programs such as composting and recycling. A unique component to the farm to school program in Davis, and one of the reasons this program has been successful is because in 2007, the community passed Measure Q (a parcel tax) that provides $70,000 per year for the purchasing and serving of fresh produce in the school lunch program.
While many farm to school programs are aimed at school with K-12 students, there are a growing number of farm to college programs. One example in our region is at UC Davis where University Dining Services is working to rapidly expand local sourcing. Their effort will highlight locally grown food in their menus, maps of farm locations, visits by farmers, and even tours of local farms. http://dining.ucdavis.edu/index.html
Farm to Hospital
Kaiser Permanente has made efforts to increase consumption of locally-produced foods in northern California by incorporating local foods into their commissary. Currently, Kaiser buys local fruit from farmers throughout northern California and the Central Valley, returns this fruit to their commissary in the Bay Area, then redistributes the fruit to all of their northern California locations, including the SACOG region. Kaiser also hosts a weekly farmers market at many of its hospital and medical office locations. While this model is not entirely “local” to the SACOG region, it is one example of a farm to hospital program that is directly sourcing locally grown products.
Supportive local policies
One example of supportive local farm to institution policies is in the Yolo County Draft General Plan. The plan includes draft policy AG-5.6, which, “Encourages institutions, such as schools, hospitals, colleges, government agencies, business and private food outlets such as grocery stores and restaurants, to provide foods produced locally in the region.”
Innovations happening elsewhere
School food programs, school gardens, and agro-ecoliteracy integrated into curriculum
There are an increasing number of programs that link the promotion of healthy seasonal food with broader agro-ecoliteracy education. The Center for Ecoliteracy, (CEL), a leading institution in this effort, offers a range of workshops and materials. CEL has launched the Rethinking School Lunch initiative as part of the national effort to restore the connection of farms to communities, meals to culture, and health to environment. The Edible Schoolyard at the Martin Luther King Junior Middle School in Berkeley, CA is an example of deeply developed program. Using food systems as a unifying concept, students learn how to grow, harvest, and prepare nutritious seasonal produce. Another resource is Kids Cook Farm Fresh Food, a standardized-based curriculum published by the California Department of Education, for 4th to 7th graders that includes farm profiles, cooking activities, and math and science lessons.
Policy changes at the state level
Several states have created state level infrastructure for farm to school programs. Oklahoma, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Washington have created a state level farm to school coordinator position. Other states, like Connecticut, have multi-agency coordination between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education. California Assembly Bill 826, now working its way through the state legislature, would require multi-agency collaboration between the Departments of Education, Food and Agriculture, and Health Services. This bill would provide seed grants to school districts to provide training to school food services staff on buying and using local, seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Objective 4: Increase Opportunities to Purchase Local Foods
Why is this important?
Many people see opportunities to purchase local foods as limited to farmers’ markets. If a farmers’ market is not nearby, people may not go out of their way to purchase local foods when a grocery store is more conveniently located. Expanding consumers’ options of where to buy local food, and increasing the accessibility and affordability to consumers, will help to expand the local food market. Additionally, increasing the number and locations of farmers’ markets and farm stands – making sure there is one nearby – will also help expand the local food system.
Innovations happening here
Urban farm stands
An urban farm stand brings fresh local produce to areas where access to fresh foods is limited. One example in Sacramento is the Alchemist Community Development Corporation’s (CDC) Urban Farm Stand in Alkali/Mansion Flat area of the City of Sacramento. The Alchemist CDC urban farm stand is different from a farmers' market in that the farm stand has just one seller who is selling produce from many growers, whereas a farmers' market features many growers in one location. The Alchemist CDC purchases fresh local foods from local growers and then sells it at the urban farm stand.
Acceptance of WIC coupons and food stamps at farmers' markets and farm stands
California’s Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) is a federally funded nutrition program designed to help families purchase nutritional food and access healthcare, and other community services. The WIC program has an established Nutrition Program which allows WIC participants to purchase fresh foods and vegetables from Certified s using WIC coupons. The WIC coupon process is fairly simple and requires no money to exchange hands between the customer and the farmer. In our region, many of the farmers at the farmers' markets accept WIC coupons. This program provides fresh food to nutritionally at-risk people as well as increases the sales and revenues for many local farms selling at the farmers' markets.
The Nutrition Program, passed under the Farm Bill, issues a $20 coupon book once a year to eligible families. (Eligible families are often the same as WIC eligible families, however, in reality the amount provided to this program under the Farm Bill does not allow for a coupon book to be issued to every eligible family.) These $1 coupons are full value only--no change can be returned to the user—and the vendor can take these coupons directly to the bank and be paid.
The state also administers a similar federal program called the Thrifty Food Plan, more commonly known as food stamps. Recently, the food stamp system has gone to an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system-recipients receive a debit card, which gets swiped at the point of purchase and the money is taken from their funds. These cards can only be used at point of purchase machines, not bank or credit union ATMs. In order for growers to accept these cards, they have to have a machine at their booth at the farmers' market and be connected to the state system, which can be difficult to set up in some locations. The Alchemist run urban farm stand referenced earlier in this paper, now accepts the EBT card. See the “Innovations happening elsewhere” section of this objective for an example of how the EBT card is being used at some farmers' markets.
Alternative CSA opportunities
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a weekly produce box that connects a local farm to the consumer. The consumer commits to supporting the farm (by way of purchasing the CSA box) and the farm supplies the family with fresh, seasonal, local produce. Many of the growers in the SACOG area offer CSA boxes as a part of their business. Typically, growers who offer CSA boxes package produce from their farm and drop off the boxes to one or more locations (usually in an urban area) on weekly basis and then subscribers pick up their boxes from the drop off location.
A new trend emerging is some farmers packing and distributing their boxes at established weekly farmers’ markets. The boxes are packed at a farmers’ market, where the produce is already out, and the farmer and helpers will have downtime in between customers. The customer then picks up the CSA box at the farmers' market, also providing an opportunity to buy additional goods from that particular farmer and others.
Another unique local CSA opportunity is the pack-your-own subscription service from the Capay Valley Growers (a partnership of growers) in Yolo County. At two of their locations, Capay Valley Growers allows consumers to bring their own packaging—box, bag, backpack—and choose from that week’s options.
Grower’s cooperatives or partnerships
A cooperative of growers has the opportunity to provide a more diverse product mix, offering more choice to consumers than one farm often can. As mentioned above, Capay Valley Growers is a partnership of growers in the Capay Valley region of Yolo County. It is because of the cooperative that they are able to offer the pack-your-own CSA box to customers and that they have been able to establish direct purchasing from a number of private businesses.
Meat buying clubs
A meat buying club is similar to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes in that it prepackages a product and drops it off at a single convenient location for pick up by the customer. One local example of a meat buying club is in the SACOG region. Four ranchers in Placer, Yuba, and Nevada Counties joined together to create the Sierra Foothills Meat Buyer's Club. Member producers offer grass-fed, hormone-free beef, pork, lamb, and goat, which can be ordered online and picked up at one of three markets each month (with no minimums or membership fees). The first market was held July 2008 in Penryn; they’ve since added a monthly site in Lincoln and one in Auburn. The Club reports earnings of $800-$1,000 in sales per month and growing. The ranchers have also begun exploring corporate and business sales with several local companies and sites.
Grocery stores carrying local produce
Several local grocery stores are also featuring locally-produced foods. Both the Sacramento and Davis Food Cooperatives work with many local farmers and other product vendors carrying local produce, meat, and some processed goods. Some grocers, including large retailers like Raley's and Whole Foods, have begun to carry some locally-produced foods as well. Additionally, Whole Foods in Roseville helped to create a weekly farmers' market in front of their store.
Supportive General Plan policies
As noted earlier, increasing accessibility to purchase local foods includes increasing access to food as well as supporting the local food system. General plan policy language that promotes local foods and encourages increased access to food (particularly local foods) are an important part in achieving this goal. One example of this in our region is Yolo County’s Draft General Plan. The draft plan includes several examples of goals and policies that support local foods and access to local foods, including:
- GOAL AG-5 Local Preference. Promote the use of foods and products from Yolo County to strengthen the local economy, improve health and connect residents with the agricultural community.
- Policy AG-5.1 Promote markets for locally and regionally grown and/or prepared food and other products and services.
- Policy AG-5.4 Encourage neighborhood grocery stores, farmers' markets, community gardens and food assistance programs to increase their use of locally grown/prepared goods.
- Policy AG-5.5 Encourage increased access to affordable and culturally relevant healthful foods, especially for low-income households.
- Policy AG-5.7 Provide opportunities within each unincorporated town for community gardens and farmers' markets.
Innovations happening elsewhere
Permanent farmers’ markets
Permanent farmers' markets and structured or covered s are developing in many locations. In many instances, permanent s serve not only as a showcase for local foods, but also serve as community gathering spaces. One local example is in the City of Davis where a permanent covered structure for its s was erected in Central Park.
Another example outside of our region is in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Santa Fe Institute a non-profit agency whose purpose is to fund and support the building of a new, permanent farmers’ market building; to promote agriculture and land-based activities in New Mexico; and to educate consumers about cultural, nutritional, and economic benefits of buying local. The Institute owns the building and signed a long-term lease to create a building as part of a larger infill project—an old rail yard area being renovated with green construction. The "Roots in the Railyard" campaign raised about half of the $4.6 million needed to complete the project through private funding and half through local and regional public funding. Office and restaurant spaces in the building help support the building and market. The Market Hall is available for community-based events and some private events when not being used for the market. This example is unique because the market is in a permanent building, but also operates every day while most s (even year round markets) operate only one to two days a week.
Acceptance of food stamps at s
One of the innovations we highlighted above was the acceptance of WIC coupons at farmers' markets and EBT/food stamp cards at some farm stands. A related innovation that we found examples of outside the region include some s using a token system where the consumer uses an EBT machine at the entrance to the market and gets tokens to give the growers as payment. Not all programs work the same. One example from the Washington State Association includes a system of paper receipts, cell phones, and wooden tokens. Customers with EBT cards fill out a voucher at the market information booth. The customer decides how much they would like to spend and the account is verified through the states’ program using a cell phone. The market then provides the customer with tokens for the amount of money he or she specified. The tokens are redeemable just like to cash at all the fresh food vendors at the market. The tokens are then turned back into the market at the end of the day by the growers and are subtracted from their daily fees, or they are reimbursed with a check. Finally, using the vouchers, a market staff person must enter each transaction into a stationary point of sale machine (used for all electronic purchases) to complete the service. At this point the funds are debited from the individual EBT cards and the market is reimbursed for all EBT sales.
Selling locally-produced food at non-traditional locations
WIC Offices1, research shows that once coupon recipients start shopping at farmers’ markets, they will continue shopping at them even with their own money once coupons are spent.
Churches and community centers: Other possibilities for selling local foods in non-traditional locations include churches and community centers. The Fresno Metro Ministry has worked to initiate zoning changes that would allow markets in non-traditional locations, such as churches and downtown areas. In Sacramento, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church near Southside Park has a prepared food market in the summer for church goers. While the food may not be local, the model could be used with local foods.
Express markets: In this model practiced in Honolulu, farmers set up their stands for just two hours or less in each of three or four locations which do not have the customer base to support a more extensive market. Nonetheless, this model increases food access for consumers and market opportunities for farmers.
Hospitals and schools: As mentioned in “Objective 3”, farm to school and farm to hospital programs also increase the accessibility of locally grown foods. Several of these programs, such as the Kaiser example from “Objective 3 Expand Farm to Institution Oppurtunities and Programs” also host s or farm stands onsite, which provides opportunity to the general public to access and purchase locally grown foods.
Objective 5: Create a Food Policy Council
Why is this important?
Food policy councils formalize partnerships between farmers, consumers, health officials, and policy makers with a shared interest in increasing access to locally and sustainably grown foods. By having one entity that represents diverse constituencies, food policy councils often serve as a focal point for policy advocacy on food related issues.
Innovations happening here
There are no formal food policy councils in the Sacramento region at a regional or local government scale. The opportunity exists to create a food policy council (at a local and/or regional scale) to make recommendations that support the expansion of local market opportunities and community access to healthy and locally grown foods.
Innovations happening elsewhere
There are many examples of food policy councils in operation in other parts of the country, ranging from small, neighborhood-scaled efforts to councils that cover major metropolitan areas. The three examples profiled here represent efforts that have been in place for more than five years and span varying geographies. While their missions are similar, they differ significantly in their structure—the Portland-Multnomah Food Policy Council is a part of the city and county government structure, the Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council operates as a nonprofit organization, and the Berkeley Food Policy Council is a partnership between multiple interest groups.
Portland-Multnomah Food Policy Council
The Portland-Multnomah Food Policy Council (PMFPC) was created in 2002 as a citizen-based advisory council to the city of Portland OR and Multnomah County. The council unites citizens and experts to focus on issues related to food access, land use planning, local food purchasing plans, and other related policy initiatives. The Council meets on a monthly basis, and the work plan is achieved through a variety of volunteer committees. PMFPC is working to achieve the following mission:
“Bring together a diverse array of stakeholders to integrate the aspects of the food system (production, distribution, access, consumption, processing and recycling) in order to enhance the environmental, economic, social and nutritional health of the city of Portland and Multnomah County.”
Significant projects have been tackled over the past several years. One of which is the completion of Diggable City, a comprehensive inventory of public lands that could be suitable for agricultural uses and an analysis of the barriers that affect the expansion of urban agriculture. Right now the PMFPC is focusing its efforts on land use policy and working towards integrating food policy as a formal part of the region’s Comprehensive Plan.
Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council
The Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council (CFPAC) was founded in 2001, and its initial efforts were guided by the findings of its foundational report, Community Food Security Inventory of the City of Chicago. Unlike many other food councils, the CFPAC is not affiliated with local government; it is an independent entity with a specific purpose—to aid in the development of policies that improve access to healthy, affordable food that is grown in a sustainable manner.
Key programmatic areas for the CFPAC include expanding farm-to-school efforts, supporting urban agriculture, and adding flexibility to the rules governing farmers’ markets to diversify the sites and increase the frequency of these direct-marketing venues. In 2008, the CFPAC was actively engaged in policy advocacy as well. Locally, the council worked to repeal a ban that restricted the ability of city residents to raise chickens in yards within the city. At the state level the group supported legislation that expands support for local foods and farms.
Berkeley Food Policy Council
The Berkeley Food Policy Council (BFPC), formed in May 1999, is a coalition of residents, non-profit agencies, community groups, the school district and city agencies whose main charge is to increase community food access. The BFPC creates a forum for policy development around topics including: increasing the availability of fresh affordable food, improving the distribution of local organic foods in the community, expanding urban gardening and farming opportunities, and providing nutritious food in public schools. The BFPC works mainly on developing policies and planning with the city of Berkeley and the Berkeley Unified School District.
Objective 6: Identify, Support, and Increase Business Training Programs for Farmers
Why is this important?
Farmers are entrepreneurs, but having farming skills is only half the equation; farmers also need businesses skills. Supporting business training opportunities that help farmers learn or update business and financial planning skills and knowledge can help them increase both their profitability and their understanding of how to gain access to the local market.
Innovations happening here
During Valley Vision’s interviews with small agricultural producers in the Sacramento region in late 2008, many participants described a yearning for increased information about potential markets, distribution options, and available programs to support their enterprises. There are several existing statewide programs that extent to the SACOG region.
UC Small Farm Program
One statewide resource is the University of California’s Small Farm Program, which has its administrative headquarters within our region at University of California, Davis. Publications available for free on their website include titles such as Production Practices and Sample Costs, Planning and Managing Agritourism and Nature Tourism Enterprises, and the Farmers Market Management Series. Ongoing small farm research topics are also covered, including a 2007 study on opportunities in the California olive oil industry.
California FarmLink
The nonprofit organization California FarmLink, provides workshops and support in helping new or small farmers get credit to start or expand their businesses (one of their three offices is located within our region in Davis CA). Staff and consultants provide technical assistance with business planning, farm financing, and structuring deals to secure farmland. An orientation to these services is held monthly. California FarmLink has also developed an Individual Development Account (IDA) program focused on agricultural businesses. The IDA program, which was passed by Congress in the 2008 Farm Bill, provides $3 in matching funds to every $1 saved by the participant. These funds are generally used for purchase of land and farm equipment. The program requires participants to develop business skills as well - a business plan, cash-flow projections, tax preparation, and more. The 5-year-old program has helped 25 beginning farmers around the state develop their businesses.
University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) County Farm Advisors
Under the UCCE, each county in the SACOG region has a county farm advisor department whose charge is generally to work with farmers and industry representatives to identify agricultural issues and opportunities within the county.
In Placer County, the UCCE offers beginning and advanced Farm Business Planning classes once a year. The advanced class is a follow-up to the 6-week beginning class, and gives participants an opportunity to stay connected to a support network throughout the year. This year the Placer County UCCE also co-hosted the 14th Annual PlacerGROWN Food and Farm Conference, which included two business-oriented workshops, “Getting Started in Farming” and “Farming and Ranching as a Business”.
Innovations happening elsewhere
While a lot of information has been developed to support the efforts of small producers in the Sacramento region and beyond, additional outreach and education efforts at the local level could ensure more producers are making use of the research within our area. Below we profile some of the strategies that other areas use to reach an increasing number of farmers to assist with business and financial planning.
Develop ongoing workshops
The Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) is an innovative model located near Salinas. ALBA’s mission is to advance economic viability, social equity and ecological land management among limited-resource and aspiring farmers. ALBA works to create opportunities for family farms while providing education and demonstration on conservation, habitat restoration, and whole farm planning. ALBA also provides land for lease on two organic farms in Monterey County.
There are several cooperative extensions that focus on small business development and provide training for agricultural entrepreneurs. One example of this is Cornell University’s Cooperative Extension. Cornell University's Cooperative Extension has a Small Farm Program that includes extensive Business Management and Beginning Farmers workshops, training sessions, and online resources. Examples include the “New Farmer and Grower Training Workshop” that covers "business planning, marketing, tax implications, production systems, and more." The class meets one evening a week for nine weeks and costs $60. There is also an online beginning farmer course that takes 10 weeks and covers goal-setting, evaluating physical resources, marketing skills, and pricing and profitability.
The Land Connection (a non-profit organization) in Illinois offers a series of programs for beginning farmers. "Farm Dreams" is a half-day workshop that helps people considering starting a farm decide if farming is the right lifestyle for them. Their Central Illinois Farm Beginnings program is a year-long training program that teaches farmers business and management skills, provides mentoring from experienced farmers, and gives a support network for beginning farmers.
Online resources
Lastly, there are many online resources for small farmers. One example of a comprehensive online resource we’ve identified was developed by Pennsylvania State University, entitled Food Entrepreneur Resources: Resources for Small Food Processors and Potential Entrepreneurs. This catalog of information covers the full spectrum of topics, such as resources for starting a food business, regulations for food processors, copacking and copackers, and direct marketing information.
Objective 7: Connect New Farmers to Available Farm Land
Why is this important?
The cost of land and starting a farm can be prohibitive for many people who want to farm. Yet, fallow farmland exists, and there are also some long term farmers (who do not have succession plans) that would like to keep their land in agriculture after they retire. Making connections between farmers without land and land without farmers could be a central part of fostering a new collection of agriculturalists that are interested in farming for the local marketplace.
Innovations happening here
California FarmLink
Previously mentioned in “Objective 6: Identify, Support, and Increase Business Training Programs for Farmers” of this paper, California FarmLink connects potential farmers with available farming opportunities around the state. Their stated mission is "to build family farming and conserve farmland in California by linking aspiring and retiring farmers; and promoting techniques and disseminating information that facilitate intergenerational farm transitions."Working closely with both aspiring and retiring farmers, FarmLink has developed an online database of land opportunities that includes cropshares, leasing, land sales, partnerships, and more (the searchable database also includes a map showing all of the opportunities in the state). They offer options to retiring farmers other than outright land sales including leasing and farm business partnerships. FarmLink conducts comprehensive workshops and provides other support for farm succession. Their Intergenerational Farm Transition program helps farmers whose children may not be interested in farming keep their land in agriculture while also meeting their family's financial needs.
Soil Born Farms Urban Agriculture and Education Project
Soil Born Farms Urban Agriculture and Education Project is an example of farmers connecting themselves to available land in an untraditional way. Soil Born Farms began when two aspiring farmers asked a private Sacramento resident if they could farm on her land (approximately 1.5 acres) in exchange for produce. Today this urban farm has expanded their model to two locations. In additional to the original 1.5 acres they continue to lease, Soil Born Farms now has a 10-year lease agreement with Sacramento County for a 25 acre site near the American River Parkway. The lease agreement includes collaborating with the parks department on natural planning for the area.
Innovations happening elsewhere
Connecting land-linking programs and business training efforts
As part of its larger mission, The New England Small Farm Institute runs several programs, two of which are the Growing New Farmers program and New England Land Link. The Land Link connects aspiring farmers with available land. The Growing New Farmers program provides training and support to both aspiring and new farmers, but also is a place for others who provide agricultural services to connect with beginning farmers who might need those services.
Identifying lands suitable for agriculture that are not currently in use
The Portland-Multnomah Food Policy Council completed a study entitled the Diggable City. The Diggable City study used land use mapping to identify publicly owned parcels of land that were deemed suitable for urban agriculture based on a set of criteria identified by the Technical Advisory Committee advising the effort. Furthermore, the Diggable City research laid out the steps towards actually realizing an increase in the amount of urban agriculture utilization of the lands.
Land connection efforts fulfilling other goals
Land connection efforts can also be used to help fulfill other goals in the region, like increasing the consumption of healthy, local foods in low income communities. One example of this can be seen in Oakland, CA. An organization called City Slickers Farms uses private backyards (of willing participants) across the city that they garden along with their community gardens. No money exchanges hands; the homeowner is donating the land for use by City Slickers. The produce is sold at farmers markets or goes directly to feeding low income Oakland residents who otherwise might not have access to fresh food.
Urban Edge Agricultural Parks (AgParks)
One innovation being explored in the Land Use Innovations Working Paper is AgParks. The concept of Urban Edge Agricultural Parks (AgParks) being pioneered by Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE), a nonprofit agency. SAGE defines AgParks as “part working farmland for small farmers, and part parkland for local communities”. AgParks provide fresh food, as well as educational, environmental, and aesthetic amenities for nearby urban and suburban communities. They support small farmers with opportunities for affordable land, shared infrastructure, and direct marketing of agricultural products. Once capitalized, Ag Parks aim to be self-sustaining. They are suitable for public or private landowners who want to establish agriculture as a valued urban-edge amenity.
SAGE has published the Urban Edge Ag Park Toolkit, a tool for public and private landowners considering urban-edge agriculture. It also operated its own AgPark, the Sunol Water Temple Agricultural Park, on 18 acres of public watershed land in Sunol, CA.
Objective 8: Improve Ability of Local Producers to Process Goods Within the Region
Why is this important?
The decline in food processing infrastructure in the region means that farm and ranch products often travel far beyond the Sacramento region to become value-added, packaged products. Developing a new generation of processing facilities to serve the region’s marketplace would ease the ability of farmers to sell value-added products, reduce food miles traveled, increase profits, and provide buyers with the option to purchase more goods grown or raised locally. Local processing facilities would also help local growers sell to institutions that often need pre-cut and packaged food for their services. Additional employment opportunities might also be added to the region.
Innovations happening here
There are processing facilities throughout the region for major commodities such as rice, almonds, walnuts, tomatoes, prunes, and olive oil; however, most of those products leave the region. There are also numerous businesses in the region that manufacture products ranging from noodles and bakery products to sauces and whole meals. There are also businesses that specialize in preparing produce for convenient commercial use; however, the bulk of their raw input is brought into the region. These processing examples demonstrate the gap between production, processing and consumption when viewed from a local market perspective. With most of these opportunities oriented toward larger farming operations that may or may not sell locally, small producers who sell exclusively to local markets have little opportunity to extend their business to value-added products that can broaden their market and generate higher revenues.
Shared processing facilities for specialty products
Recognizing that the lack of processing infrastructure can be a barrier to selling to a local market there are a few efforts within the region to broaden the capacity to transform crops into value-added products, like wine, jams and olive oil.
One example of this is the shared processing facility for wine grapes at the Old Sugar Mill in the Delta area of Yolo County. Grape growers within and beyond the region can use the Old Sugar Mill facility to fulfill any or all stages of wine processing, going from fruit to bottle.
Another example is growers in Yolo and Solano Counties are exploring an investment into a shared olive press to enable the marketing of locally produced oils. Acreage in olives has doubled in the past five years in these two counties, and currently olive growers go to Sonoma or Butte County to process their olives. The shared press would support small farmers who might not be able to afford a press on their own, help them reduce their gas expenses and trim time away from the farm. The California Center for Cooperative Development is conducting a feasibility study for this press and a bottling facility. Included in the feasibility study will be consideration of using the new olive press on the UC Davis campus; university policies surrounding outside use of this press are as yet unknown. Other considerations include where some infrastructure might already exist and disposing of waste-in particular, figuring out if pulp from the press can be returned for use on a farm.
Supportive General Plan and Zoning policies
Local policy can sometimes be a barrier to local and onsite processing opportunities. In our region we have several examples of supportive local policies allowing or encouraging local processing facilities and/or onsite processing of value added products.
One example explored in the Land Use Innovations Working Paper is the zoning within El Dorado County’s Agricultural Districts. Agricultural Districts in El Dorado County have zoning that allows, by right, packing, processing and sale of agricultural products and edible byproducts grown on-site. Zoning also allows the packing, processing and sale of agricultural products grown off-site in conjunction with the processing or sale of products produced on site.
An example of supportive local policies can be found in Yolo County’s Draft General Plan. The draft plan includes policies that support the development of local suppliers for agricultural goods and services, including small-scale and/or mobile processing facilities and distribution centers for locally produced foods (draft policy AG-3.7) and recognize and protect agricultural infrastructure, such as farm-to market routes, water diversion and conveyance structures, fertilizer and chemical sales, airfields, processing facilities, research and development and farm worker housing (draft policy AG-3.4).
Innovations happening elsewhere
While many processing facilities have left the landscape, there is the potential for reinvestment to meet new goals—prepping local goods for local consumers, rather than serving as a step along the pipeline to the national and international marketplace. During the first RUCS Local Markets workshop December, 2008, many participants cited the need to explore this opportunity. Ideas ranged from reestablishing closed down processing facilities as locally-serving enterprises, to investing in new ideas, such as a portable meat production facility that could help satisfy what is seen as growing demand.
Small scale processing as diversified business
In Point Reyes Station, the Cowgirl Creamery transforms local organic milk into artisanal cheeses in a building that used to be an old barn. While the creamery only produces seven of its own varieties of cheese totaling 3,000 pounds per week, it has earned a big reputation as a place where residents and visitors can go to learn about the craft of cheese making. This diversified business now consists of multiple retail facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area that feature Cowgirl Creamery products, as well as marketing hundreds of varieties of cheese from across America and Europe. This small scale processing example demonstrates that operations focusing on the right niche can be viable business ventures.
Meat processing trailer
Many ranchers (including many in the SACOG area) have identified a robust market for locally raised meat yet are stymied by the inability to process chicken, lamb, and beef locally. A few places have addressed this challenge by investing in a USDA-certified, portable meat processing trailer that serves multiple ranches and can process multiple types of animals. This avoids the costly and potentially very difficult process of getting a new facility sited and approved.
The first area to test the portable meat processing trailer was western Washington State (San Juan County) in 2002, because local producers were shipping their cattle at least 200 miles for processing, or simply selling their unfinished meat at auctions at a reduced cost. The local land trust was instrumental in helping initiate the project, is the current owner of the trailer and leases the facility to a local farmers’ cooperative. Implementation of this idea took about $350,000 and demanded many hours of volunteer time and local support, but the results have been noteworthy. The trailer and associated “cut and wrap” facility are operating at capacity, and the majority of the product is being purchased within the region.
Supporting other growers with private facilities
Some individual growers have been able to expand into processing facilities for other growers. In Newburg, Oregon, Wilhelm Foods expanded from processing their own excess fruit, to expanding their processing services to support many small growers in the region. Different levels of service are provided from processing to labeling, stock to custom recipes, depending on the customer's needs. Additionally, other growers will bring their excess fruit to Wilhelm, which uses that fruit in their own jams. Wilhelm Foods has had to move to larger facilities three times in 14 years.
Shared use commercial kitchens
Some regions have adopted the concept of shared commercial kitchens. This can take several forms, in part depending on whether it is a private or public enterprise.
One example of this is Maine's Shared Use Kitchen Coalition coordinated by the region's Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) program in the State of Maine. They have five shared use kitchen projects in the region that are "licensed kitchen facilities providing small scale food entrepreneurs the space to prepare and process value-added food for consumer marketing. Most facilities also provide training, support and access to other resources and distribution networks."2 Each project is raising its own funds, from municipal funding to individual donations.
Another example of a commercial kitchen that supports small farms in Appalachian, Ohio is the Food Ventures Center, operated by the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (a non-profit agency). The kitchen is a shared-use manufacturing facility which includes a commercial kitchen, storage space, retail space, office space, processing and packing areas, and a technology center all designed to support local specialty producers.
An example of private business operating a commercial kitchen for rent is Chef's Kitchens in Los Angeles, CA. Chef’s Kitchen has five commercial kitchens available for rental, all in one large building. Their tag line is "a culinary incubator for artisanal food". Users are required to have their own insurance and food handlers' certificate. Space can be rented full time, part time, or on a one time use basis.
Objective 9: Increase Distribution Opportunities Within the Region
Why is this important?
Based on input received during our research, enhancing the local distribution infrastructure is necessary to expanding the local food system. A food distribution center dedicated to serving small to mid-size, locally-based producers could provide a means for local growers to connect with large-scale food buyers such as school districts, restaurants, and other institutions. This would give buyers more options for purchasing locally, and give growers an additional avenue for sales. A local, grower-based distribution center would decrease vehicle miles traveled by growers who currently deliver to multiple sites, leaving more time for farming while also reducing the region’s carbon footprint.
Innovations happening here
Shared Storage Facility/Distribution Hub
An example of a joint distribution facility effort is Growers Collaborative, the for-profit arm of Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) that facilitates purchasing from CAFF members, and uses two cold storage facilities in the region. The rented facility, in Davis, is open to growers to store their produce before distribution to collaborative customers. Additionally, Growers Collaborative uses the cold storage facility at Soil Born Farms to help supply urban farm stands run by both Soil Born Farms and Alchemist. This arrangement gives local growers, through Growers Collaborative, another distribution outlet, while also providing an opportunity to supply fresh produce to low-income residents of the areas in which Soil Born and Alchemist run their urban farm stands.
Innovations happening elsewhere
erative distribution
There are several examples illustrating various erative distribution possibilities including erative warehousing, a erative wholesale food service, and a food erative owned by both growers and consumers. Two examples are highlighted here.
Co-op Partners Warehouse: In 1997, the Wedge Community Co-op in Minneapolis began the Co-op Partners Warehouse (CPW), 45,000 sq. ft of warehouse space that provides storage and delivery for local growers that sell to Wedge and other co-operatives in the region. This has increased the product mix for the eratives and increased the Wedge’s volume, resulting in better pricing and efficiency.
In addition to acting as a local distributor for growers and other co-ops, CPW has developed an alternative distribution method for producers who prefer to have a direct relationship with the consumer. CPW’s drop-shipping program consolidates products at the warehouse and delivers them to the end consumer, while customer orders and billing still go through the producer. CPW assesses the producer a small delivery fee. This program provides efficiency in both fuel and labor, allows the producer to maintain a direct relationship with the consumer and maximum income for their product.
Lancaster Farm Fresh: Lancaster Farm Fresh is a farmer erative (made up of 30 farmers) serving the Lancaster and Philadelphia regions. These Amish and Mennonite organic farmers market to wholesale buyers, including small retail outlets and chefs, through a wholesale food service, and household consumers through their CSA. Farmers deliver to a warehouse in the afternoon, and the erative delivers to wholesale buyers in the morning. The erative staff manages marketing, sales, billing, packing, and delivery. A general product availability list is online, as each farmer agrees in January to grow specific crops that year.
Electronic broker
One example of an electronic broker is FarmsReach (www.FarmsReach.com) out of San Francisco, CA. Through an online database of locally grown produce, they are connecting wholesale buyers and growers. The website offers information on product, producer, time of delivery (or pick-up), packing, and price. The online service is currently in a beta testing phase with growers and wholesale buyers mainly in the bay area.
The Oklahoma Food erative offers an example from outside of the region for both an online database model and a erative distribution model. As a erative, it is member-owned, however, while most eratives are owned by either growers or consumers, the Oklahoma Food erative is owned by both. Producers post what they have available at the beginning of each month; consumers have one to two weeks to place orders for that month. On the third Thursday of the month, farmers come to a central location in Oklahoma City where the all-volunteer co op staff sorts products into customer orders to be delivered to 32 pickup sites around the state. Free home delivery is offered to disabled or ill members or residents within certain municipalities.
A membership fee buys one share in the erative. This fee is the same for consumers or producers. In addition to the share fee, producers are charged 10% for selling through the , and customers pay 8% for buying through the . As of June 2008, after almost five years in operation, the co op is seeing $61,000-$65,000 in sales each month. Of the approximately 2,000 members, 125 of them are producers. Low income applicants can apply for membership paid through a special fund donated by other members.
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