POLICY
We are the voice of sustainable agriculture in California. For over 40 years, we’ve been advocating for state and national policies that create more resilient family farms, communities and ecosystems.
Policies shape how we farm, the markets we rely on, and the regulations that either prevent or empower the kind of food and farming system we all want to see.
From food safety regulations to immigration reform, ecosystem protections to the local markets on which our small businesses depend, local, state and federal policies have the power to help farms thrive, steward our lands and produce healthy food. Or to put them out of business.
We at CAFF & The Farmers Guild give voice to family farmers all across California, listening closing to the needs, concerns and aspirations of those often too busy in the field to speak up for themselves. With over four decades of experience in the halls of Sacramento, together with a committee comprised of farmers, we advocate for policies that create more resilient family farms, communities and ecosystems. And through our membership in the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, we work with partners from across the country to advocate for forward-thinking reform at the federal level as well.
WHAT'S NEW IN FOOD & AG POLICY
2020 CAFF Survey
CAFF’s ANNUAL SURVEY Your voice matters! By taking the time to complete this survey, you help guide CAFF’s work and advocacy to better serve and
Why Family Farmers Say YES on Prop 15
This November, California voters will have a chance to support small farms, small businesses and local communities, while ensuring big, wealthy corporations pay more of
ACTION ALERT! Tell Congress: Local Farms Need COVID-19 Relief
The majority of farmers selling local foods have suffered severe market disruptions due to COVID-19, yet the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) has left
Don’t Let Congress Ignore Small Farms Yet Again!
In the last COVID aid package, congress approved $16 billion to support U.S. agriculture. But how much of that money found its way to the
California Legislative Bills of Concern to CAFF
Every year, we weigh in on California legislation, lending our support to bills that promote our mission and our members, opposing those that threaten them, and sponsoring bills of own to give family farmers and sustainable agriculture a better chance to succeed. Here you can track the progress of bills we’re following as well as find our positions on past legislation.
KEY POLICY ISSUES
Click on the above photos to learn more about the key issues of concern to CAFF & The Farmers Guild and how we’re advocating for state and federal policies that better promote family farms, local food systems and sustainable agriculture.
OUR STATEWIDE POLICY COMMITTEE
Guinda, CA
Sacramento, CA
Redlands, CA
Livingston, CA
Aptos, CA
Healdsburg, CA
Royal Oaks, CA
Redcrest, CA
Ojai, CA
Sacramento, CA
Sacramento, CA
Sacramento, CA
Dave directs all of CAFF’s policy work as well as the food safety and water stewardship outreach. Dave is an agricultural economist who conducted research on such topics as contract agriculture in Mexico, fair trade coffee in Oaxaca, regional competitiveness of the produce industry, living wages in Los Angeles, and farm labor in California.
dave[at]caff.org | 530-756-1298
CAFF Legislative Representation, Sacramento
Justin Malan, Eco Consult
CAFF Policy Advisors
Stellman Keehnel, Esq., Seattle
E. Phillip LeVeen, PhD, Berkeley
CAFF Legislative Representation, Washington DC
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition