Increasing globalization has made it more difficult than ever for local farmers to make ends meet, says Evan Wiig, director of membership and communications for the Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Community Alliance with Family Farmers.
That’s why the nearly 50-year-old organization continues to advocate for family farms, sustainable agriculture and local food systems, among other causes.
CAFF hosts the California Small Farm Conference, the 39th edition of which is scheduled for February, visits the state capital to serve as a voice for small farms, conducts educational programs to help farmers implement ecological farming practices and works to increase sales from family farms to local markets, Wigg says.
“Anything that encourages local food and provides new markets for farmers in a given region is beneficial,” he says. “To really try to focus in on our local communities, whether that be a state or region or closer, is always going to be positive.”
According to the USDA’s 2022 Agricultural Census, the latest available, 60,332 farms reported more than $14.2 billion in sales to retail markets, institutions and food hubs for local or regionally branded products. That’s an increase of 31,374 farms and more than $5 billion from 2017.
“It is a growing market,” Wiig says. “The buy-local movement resonates with people on a lot of fronts.”
Deciding exactly what is local is “a healthy debate to always be having,” he says. “For us, it comes down to what is the consumer expecting when they purchase something with the word ‘local’ on it.”
When they purchase local produce, consumers have an idea that it’s going to be fresher, closer to the source and will support their local economy, he says.
“They want to feel that when they purchase from a local business or a local farm, the money is going to be recirculated into their own neighborhood,” Wiig says.
Locally grown is a “very bipartisan” priority, he emphasizes.
“Everyone has a shared belief that trying to support people in your community matters,” Wigg says. “We’re trying to keep local businesses alive in an era that is dominated by consolidation and the Amazons of the world.”
