Tag Archives: food & farming

In the Face of Federal Budget Cuts: Market Match Offers Food Security and Food Sovereignty

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In the Face of Federal Budget Cuts: Market Match Offers Food Security and Food Sovereignty
At a time when Congress is trying to cut food security and healthy entitlements, the Ecology Center’s Market Match program offers thousands of families facing hunger the ability to overcome high food costs, by doubling their purchasing power for California’s fresh, healthy, and local foods. In 2024, the Market Match program matched almost $10M in… Read more »

Farming in an Age of Climate Disaster: Interview with Bernie of Pomo Tierra Orchard

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Farming in an Age of Climate Disaster: Interview with Bernie of Pomo Tierra Orchard
As we fight to “Keep it in the Ground” and end the production of fossil fuels and plastics that cause the climate crisis, we also know that climate change will impact farmers and our future food supplies. What are small farmers thinking about this present and future? We asked Bernie of Pomo Tierra Ranch who… Read more »

Stories from Field to Fork: Meet Farmer Paul Lee of Kay Lee Farms, a Market Match vendor

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Stories from Field to Fork: Meet Farmer Paul Lee of Kay Lee Farms, a Market Match vendor
Kay Lee Farm is a 70 acre family farm in Fresno, CA. Operated by farmer Paul Lee and started in 1980 by Paul’s parents who emigrated from Laos, the farm continues to employ four family members alongside hired staff. Kay Lee Farm started out selling Asian leafy green produce to wholesale brokers, but the farm… Read more »

Why does Market Match invest in Small Farmers and Farmers’ Markets? Interview with Efren Avalos, owner of Avalos Farm

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Why does Market Match invest in Small Farmers and Farmers' Markets? Interview with Efren Avalos, owner of Avalos Farm
Market Match provides extra money to CalFresh recipients to afford fresh fruits and vegetables across the state at over 290 sites to make fresh and nutrient dense food more affordable. But why does Market Match prioritize produce grown by California small farmers instead of just any large-scale industrial farm? It’s because we know we need… Read more »

Love Linda Vista Farmers Market, Ecology Center’s partner in San Diego, Makes Strides to Keep Market Match and Fresh Food Access

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Love Linda Vista Farmers Market, Ecology Center’s partner in San Diego, Makes Strides to Keep Market Match and Fresh Food Access
The neighborhood of Linda Vista in San Diego almost lost the Market Match program, a federal and state-funded grant program led by the Ecology Center that provides a dollar-for-dollar match on CalFresh/SNAP spending at participating CA farmers’ markets. Market Match–a safety net program meeting the growing needs of low income Californians during and post-pandemic–led to… Read more »