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 »
Action on Health Care Access for Farm Workers
The fifth topic addressed by the Ventura Ag Futures Alliance was the need to provide access to health care for farm workers. Access to health care is a societal problem, and over six million Californians lack health insurance. But farm workers are an especially vulnerable population. The AFA recognized that farm worker access to health care is critical to the viability of agriculture in Ventura County as well as to the workers themselves, their families, and their employers.
This paper looks at a comprehensive local solution for farm worker health care access and outlines practical steps forward.
Issue Paper 6: Ag Worker Health Access: A Comprehensive Local Solution
Action on Stewardship
The fourth topic addressed by the Ventura AFA was the need for a new definition of land stewardship that recognized the role of all members in the community in creating a healthy food system. Published in January 2005 and the product of almost two years of dialogue, this document offers a new agricultural ethic for Ventura County, one based on shared responsibility for the challenge of creating a sustainable food systems. This document proposes principles and practices for farmers, consumers, and policy makers as they grapple with the challenge of maintaining and enhancing agriculture in perpetuity.
This report was followed up with a County-wide Summit on Stewardship held in March of 2006. The summit gathered hundreds of participants to engage in the Stewardship paper and to commit to future action. The results of this Summit are captured in the Report to the Community on the Stewardship Summit, Issue Paper Number 4.
- Issue Paper 4: A Community of Good Stewards: Building Sustainable Agriculture in Ventura County (pdf)
- Issue Paper 5: A Report to the Community on the Stewardship Summit (Large file includes full set of appendices)
- Issue Paper 5: A Report to the Community on the Stewardship Summit (Smaller file without appendices, suitable for printing)
Action on Land Use Policy
The third topic upon which the AFA arrived at consensus was the need for better land use policy. A set of principles was developed which can guide the county and cities as they seek to ensure that agriculture is sustained in the region.
Follow-up to Issue Paper 3: Land Use Principles to Achieve Agricultural Sustainability in Ventura County
This paper, published in February 2006 reflects almost two years of dialogue within Ventura County. The Land Use Committee of the AFA worked with city and county planners and policy makers to review and discuss the land use principles first proposed in the 2003 Issue Paper 3. The goal was to ascertain current adherence to the principles and to clarify what further action and specific policies are needed in order to ensure land use policy supports continued existence of agriculture.
Action on Farm Worker Housing
The second topic upon which the AFA arrived at consensus was the need for farm worker housing. The consensus position, recommended policies and actions are clarified in Issue Paper No. 2. This document has led to a sustained effort to organize a broad community of interest in support of housing construction, which continues to build momentum.
Action on Pesticides
When the AFA began, the environmental community’s primary concern was pesticide use. In 2000, the AFA’s first year, a pesticide drift incident occurred at Mound School, near the AFA meeting site.
The Mound School incident lead to creation of the first committee of the AFA and the writing and publication of the first AFA issue paper.
Issue Paper No.1 clarifies a consensus position, recommends local policy, systems, and actions to protect the community from accidents associated with pesticide use near schools.
Also on this page, find the English and Spanish versions of a document used to advise all interested parties on how to minimize risk and avoid problems related to pesticides and schools.