Food Justice Community Action Plan

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Food is a basic need for people’s health and wellness, and it reflects our cultural identity. San Diego county has a robust food system, with a strong farm and fishing industry, over 15,000 diverse food facilities, a year-round growing season, and more than 30 farmers markets.

But food security only exists when everyone has regular access to enough food to meet their needs.

The County has developed a Food Justice Community Action Plan to increase food security throughout the region. While not comprehensive, the action plan integrates community ideas into a next steps-guide to bolster momentum for collaborative change to improve food access and reduce food insecurity in the region.

Community participation is central to this effort.

Five key themes were explored through outreach and engagement:

  1. Government, community-based organizations, and private interests working together
  2. Better access and food options from government programs, charitable organizations and school meals
  3. Investments in food education, including nutrition education
  4. Supporting food as medicine, including breastfeeding
  5. Root causes, such as support for broad financial stability

Community roundtables were held throughout the region in August and September 2024 and online input was collected through October 7th. Additionally, the County held a workshop and tabling activity at the 4th Annual Gathering for Food Vision 2030 on October 17th.

Next Steps

The action plan was received by the Board of Supervisors, with direction for staff to report back with details for implementing a selection of actions identified by the Board. Key priorities directed by the Board include defining how food insecurity is measured, expanding community gardens and agricultural leases, supporting food recovery systems, increasing access to locally grown produce, and updating emergency response plans to incorporate community input for improving food access and food security during emergencies.

County staff will report back to the Board with the compiled findings in April 2025. The report back will inform the FY25/26 Budget process and will include cost estimates, timelines, and implementation needs. Additional information is available in the following County e-newsletter.

Community participation remains central to this effort, and your voice matters. Stay tuned as the County works to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable food system for all!

Food is a basic need for people’s health and wellness, and it reflects our cultural identity. San Diego county has a robust food system, with a strong farm and fishing industry, over 15,000 diverse food facilities, a year-round growing season, and more than 30 farmers markets.

But food security only exists when everyone has regular access to enough food to meet their needs.

The County has developed a Food Justice Community Action Plan to increase food security throughout the region. While not comprehensive, the action plan integrates community ideas into a next steps-guide to bolster momentum for collaborative change to improve food access and reduce food insecurity in the region.

Community participation is central to this effort.

Five key themes were explored through outreach and engagement:

  1. Government, community-based organizations, and private interests working together
  2. Better access and food options from government programs, charitable organizations and school meals
  3. Investments in food education, including nutrition education
  4. Supporting food as medicine, including breastfeeding
  5. Root causes, such as support for broad financial stability

Community roundtables were held throughout the region in August and September 2024 and online input was collected through October 7th. Additionally, the County held a workshop and tabling activity at the 4th Annual Gathering for Food Vision 2030 on October 17th.

Next Steps

The action plan was received by the Board of Supervisors, with direction for staff to report back with details for implementing a selection of actions identified by the Board. Key priorities directed by the Board include defining how food insecurity is measured, expanding community gardens and agricultural leases, supporting food recovery systems, increasing access to locally grown produce, and updating emergency response plans to incorporate community input for improving food access and food security during emergencies.

County staff will report back to the Board with the compiled findings in April 2025. The report back will inform the FY25/26 Budget process and will include cost estimates, timelines, and implementation needs. Additional information is available in the following County e-newsletter.

Community participation remains central to this effort, and your voice matters. Stay tuned as the County works to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable food system for all!

  • SALC 2.0 Gap Analysis Report - Open for Public Comment

    In December 2022, the San Diego County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), in partnership with the County of San Diego’s (County) Planning & Development Services Department, was awarded a $450,000 Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) planning grant as a major extension of the previous SALC grant work. The SALC 2.0 project aims to support existing and emerging farmers through timely market research and, in doing so, curb the premature conversion of agricultural lands. The project will also serve to inform local agencies’ decision-making to further aid, preserve, and maximize the vital contributions – economic, environmental, and public health benefits – that small-scale farms offer the region. You can learn more about this effort and previous engagement on the project website.

     

    The SALC 2.0 Gap Analysis Report analyzes costs and returns for four focal commodities: avocados, lemons, strawberries, and tomatoes. The primary data sources consisted of relevant University of California Davis cost & return studies combined with detailed financial records provided by local producers. Other sources included personal interviews with producers, direct observations made at farms and other locations, and a review of key documents such as water bills, receipts, permits, and other farm records. The results detail costs, revenues, and net returns across various scenarios for each of four focal commodities.


    If you’d like to explore alternative scenarios, you are invited to do so using the Agricultural Profitability Assessment Tool (AG-PAT). Produced as part of the SALC 2.0 project and available to public, AG-PAT is a simple Excel-based instrument that allows users to adjust costs for water, labor, and more than a dozen other expenses, as well as yields and prices. The results instantly show how those changes affect profitability (returns per acre) for an individual farm and countywide based on the total acreage of a given crop.


    Available for Public Review Now through May 2nd, 2025:

    Review the Draft SALC 2.0 Gap Analysis Report 

    Provide Your Comments & Feedback Here
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Page last updated: 24 Mar 2025, 09:09 AM