Food

Nourish ourselves; nurture the world.

 

 

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If where our food comes from suddenly mattered, would Southern California be prepared with a reliable, safe, and abundant food supply? How much food do the seven Southern California counties produce? How self-reliant is our region? What can each Southern California county do to increase food security and access while building resilience for the whole region?

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Illustration of Ollie the Owl as a Farmer

SoCal Food Systems Dashboard

Understanding Southern California's Food System

Once upon a time, Southern California was a major agricultural producer. In fact, Los Angeles County used to be the top agricultural county by sales in the country. Today, Southern Californians, like most people, is dependent on food supplies from around the world. Most agricultural production in Southern California takes place in the isolated stretch of Imperial County from the Salton Sea to the Mexican border, southwestern Ventura County, and pockets throughout Riverside and San Diego counties.

Despite all of the changes that have taken place in the region, Southern California’s food system still produces a lot of food and is a major component of the regional economy. Explore changes to Southern California’s food system in the interactive Dashboards below:

Farm Report Sketch 01
Farm Report Sketch 02
Download the Food Systems Report: "Invisible Empire"

Risks to Long-Term Food Production

In most of our lived experiences, we have not had to answer the question—Where does our food come from?--although our ancestors certainly knew the answer to this question. As more frequent and intense climate-related disasters imperil food production around the world, the question of what would happen in Southern California during an extended period of food insecurity is left unasked, and unanswered.

Unlike other systems that provide essential goods and services, like energy and water, no one is currently in charge of planning for healthy, reliable, and resilient long-term food supplies.

The two dominant food-producing regions in the United States—California's Central Valley and the Midwest—are both in a state of “palpable and accelerating decline” due to increased temperatures, drought, and water stress. In Mexico, the top source of imported fruits and vegetables to the U.S., climate change could significantly limit agricultural production, including corn, tomatoes, avocados, and chilis. 

Learn what the UN says about a climate-fueled global food crisis.

Mapping our Foodscape

Understanding Southern California's Food System

Compared to SoCal's agrarian past, we have comparatively little farmland left. It's been swallowed up by housing and warehousing, compromised by invasive species, and its future is questioned by water issues. Where and how should we prioritize preserving our farmland so that we can build a self-reliant, resilient food system?

San Diego County has developed a resilient food systems plan to achieve 30% of local food production by 2030. Could the rest of Southern California do the same?

With about 22 million residents (56% of California’s population) and nearly $1.7 trillion in gross domestic product (47% of California’s GDP), Southern California is a region of global and national significance. But, if where our food comes from suddenly mattered, would Southern California be prepared with a reliable, safe, and abundant food supply? How much food do the seven Southern California counties produce? How self-reliant is our region? What can each Southern California county do to increase food security and access while building resilience for the whole region?

Preserving Farmland in SoCal

It's more important than ever to preserve and enhance farmland and urban agriculture opportunities in our rich landscape. Here are some tips to help make that happen in your own city! By the Fellows at the Robert Redford Conservancy.

See the American Farmland Trust's Future of Farmland App below

And read their Farms 2040 report.

What is a Food System?

A “food system” refers to all the people, resources, and processes—food production, processing, packaging, distributing, selling, preparing, and disposing—that move food from farm and ocean to our plates. There are very few examples of long-term planning for healthy, reliable, equitable food systems.

Two story maps feature food and agricultural projects in LA County and the Inland Empire.

Agrivoltaics: Working at the Water Food Energy Nexus

The Redford Conservancy at Pitzer College is conducting the first agrivoltaics study in Southern California. Agrivoltaics means placing solar arrays directly over crops.

Ideal for the climate crisis, agrivoltaics can increase water efficiency by 400%, shade heat-stressed plants, and provide shade for workers as well as animals.

Agrivoltaics can generate electricity, make solar panels more efficient, shade workers and animals, and increase profits for farmers.

In Southern California, agrivoltaics could help retain land in farming while powering the state, taking pressure off the grid, and helping transition to a green economy.

The potential for innovative, regenerative uses of farmland is just one reason to conserve farmland. Read the StoryMap below about model land conservation programs in California.

Growing resilience.

What will it take to grow, raise, produce, harvest, and catch more regional food and move our food system away from global supply chains and into our homes and other places where we eat? Unlike other systems that provide essential goods and services, like energy and water, no one is currently in charge of planning and preparing for healthy, reliable, and resilient long-term food supplies.

See below for films from Intercollegiate Media Studies and the Redford Conservancy about scrappy, innovative, and visionary people and projects attempting to make a difference.

JUST PLANT IT from Intercollegiate Media Studies on Vimeo.

THE HOME PLACE from Intercollegiate Media Studies on Vimeo.

Pomona Grown: We can feed ourselves from Intercollegiate Media Studies on Vimeo.

The Crescent – Water is our Crop from Intercollegiate Media Studies on Vimeo.