Daily Harvest, the company on a mission to make it easier to eat more sustainably-grown fruits and vegetables, announced the first round of grants in partnership with American Farmland Trust (AFT) and California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). The grants are one pillar of the multi-year partnership supporting historically underserved farmers in California’s Central Valley and Central Coast.
The funding helps grantees scale their operations, expand organic acreage and increase the availability of sustainably-grown fruits and vegetables. The 12 farmers all identify as Latino and 50% are women. They grow berries, vegetables, and greens on 50 acres of farmland or less.
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Nearly half of America’s fruits, vegetables and nuts are grown in California, a state that remains at the forefront of the climate crisis. More than 12 percent of California farmers and 97 percent of farmworkers in California are Latino, yet only three percent own farms. And just 30 percent of California farm workers are women.
Historically underserved farming communities often lack access to the same resources as their peers on account of their race or gender. These disadvantages are compounded by the other cost, time and information barriers associated with organic and regenerative farming. Daily Harvest, CCOF, AFT, and other like-minded groups, such as Rustic Canyon Family of Restaurants, are working to close these gaps by offering farmers in this region grants up to $10,000 per year for three years to expand their organic farm acreage, implement soil health practices – like composting and cover crops – and scale their businesses.
“A more just and regenerative food system starts with the people who grow our food,” said Rachel Drori, Founder and CEO of Daily Harvest. “This program aims to tackle systemic issues at the root by giving historically disadvantaged farmers in California’s Central Valley and Central Coast the tools they need to expand their operations while scaling organic and regenerative approaches that benefit growers, consumers, and the planet.”