The Ventura AFA was born in 2000. In the six years it has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments.
The underlying success rests with formation of an active alliance of representatives from leading community organizations. These leaders are committed to formation of consensus positions on those issues most important to the future of a sustainable agriculture and the community at large. With consensus established, AFA members work collaboratively over sustained periods to activate their desired principles and policies within the community.
Below is a comprehensive list of the Ventura AFAâs accomplishments. Hotlinks and PDF files will reveal the breadth and depth of the model developed by Ventura Countyâs community leaders.
– Developed the model for an AFA community process now being seeded up and down the state, including a Constitution and change model
– Spawned action that changed state law related to use of pesticides around schools
– Established consensus position on need for more farm worker housing with the county and recommended detailed set of principles, actions and policies that would ensure housing got built
– Sponsored a major policy summit related to farm worker housing
– Testified numerous times at meeting of the County Supervisors and city councils to ensure passage of zoning laws and permits that allow more farm worker housing to be built
– Sponsored three documentaries about land use, stewardship of resources and farm worker housing. See Links
– Established consensus on a set of land use principles that if adopted by the county and cities will support the continued existence of agriculture by minimizing the negative consequences associated with the close proximity of farming and urban uses.
– Developed leadership network within the county consisting of over 80 individuals willing to organize and act in order to maintain and enhance agriculture in perpetuity
– Generated nearly 7,000 hours of volunteer time in first six years of the effort, equivalent to over $188,900 of labor when valuing that labor at $27 per hour
– Raised nearly $174,000 in cash to support the AFA process in its first six years
– Raised over $83,000 in additional grant money to facilitate community and business activity needed to launch farm worker housing projects
– For an excellent history of the Ventura AFA you may read John Krist’s Farming in Suburbia.