Art About Agriculture Exhibit
“Fields and Flower Fields” by Hilda Kilpatrick, 30”x40”, oil on canvasThe Ag Art Alliance presents the 3rd Annual “Art About Agriculture Exhibit” at the Santa Paula Art Museum from August 21 through February 6, 2011. The museum is located at 117 N. 10th Street in historic downtown Santa Paula. The purpose of the exhibit is to promote Art About Agriculture by exploring all the facets of agriculture from workers to water, from machinery to soil and to the food that goes on our plates. The Museum is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission: Adults $4, Seniors $3 and members and students are free. An article entitled Fertile ground for creativity was published Aug. 28 in the Ventura County Star.
Ag Land Use Choices Highlighted In AFA Report
Trade-offs between different types of agriculture must be consideredVentura County decision-makers will need to grapple with the trade-offs between different types of agriculture in the County. The dynamic and changing nature of markets for Ventura County agricultural products and increasing challenges to farming and ranching profitability will result in new mixes of agricultural production in the County.
The latest report from the Ag Futures Alliance, “The Impact of Agricultural Practices on the Environment, Social Equity and Economics, A Comparison of Open Field, Container Nursery and Greenhouse Farming,” is a comprehensive examination of three types of common agricultural practice in the County. Read More »
Like orange juice? Protect it
By Chris Sayer and Karen Schmidt
Ventura County Star
March 20, 2010
The disease that decimated the Florida citrus industry — 250,000 acres of trees lost in just five years — is heading toward our doorstep. This is an enormous problem not just for the agricultural industry, but for all of us.
Read More »Gypsy-moth response speaks to the issue of community stewardship
The Ventura County Ag Futures Alliance has watched in dismay the recent conflict over the efforts to control the gypsy-moth outbreak in Meiners Oaks. The gypsy moth is an invasive species that was introduced into the area by human action. The damage the moth can cause is well-documented and, if unchecked, could result in permanent damage to many California native plants, particularly the oaks for which Ojai is famous.
We believe the control approach taken by our county agricultural commissioner and the California Department of Food and Agriculture to be a prudent and low-risk response. Our core concern about this incident is what it says about our community and its ability to share responsibility for stewardship of the natural resources we all depend on.
Read More »Alliance Mourns Passing of Marty Fujita
2009. Marty Fujita, long-time member of the Ventura Ag Futures Alliance, has passed away after a brief battle with cancer. Marty was a valued Alliance member who combined her environmental background with her work in creating regional food systems. She was co-founder of Food for Thought The Ojai Healthy Schools Program, a local organization that promotes local, healthy food in Ojai schools, helping schoolchildren understand the link between food and health.
At the AFA, Marty was a passionate voice for moving quickly to avoid the impacts of climate change on agriculture. In one of her last book recommendations to the group, Marty suggested reading The End of the Long Summer: Why We Must Remake Our Civilization to Survive on a Volatile Earth by Dianne Dumanoski, a thorough and thought-provoking look at the challenges ahead with a changing climate.
Joseph McIntyre, facilitator for the Ventura Alliance remembers Marty as “exactly the kind of person we need on our Alliances. Smart, informed, passionate, and visionary, she never ceased challenging all of us to think harder and more broadly. She gave herself fully to her life and to the Alliance work. We will all miss her greatly.”
Contributions in her name can be made to Food for Thought.
November 2008: Food Guide Released
The Ventura Ag Futures Alliance working in cooperation with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers and the Environmental Defense Center has released the First Edition of the Buy Fresh Buy Local Food Guide for Santa Barbara, Ventura, and northern Los Angeles Counties. The guide is packed with information about where to buy the freshest of local produce as well as informative articles about food and agriculture in the area. Copies of the Guide will be widely distributed in Ventura County or you can download it here.
We invite you to stay in touch with updates to the Guide and other news of interest to Ventura County by subscribing to the Ventura County AFA Alert, which is published every two months by email. You can subscribe here.
January 2008: AFA Releases "Ag Worker Health Access: A Comprehensive Local Solution"
In a troubled American health system, farm workers are at particular risk for not receiving or receiving inadequate health care. The Ventura Ag Futures Alliance spent over a year collaborating with local ag employers, health insurers, and public agencies to develop a comprehensive local solution to the farm worker health access challenge. Ag Worker Health Access: A Comprehensive Local Solution, produced in collaboration with Central Coast Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), is the Alliance’s recommendations to the community of a way towards a healthier farm labor workfoce.