Putting Food on the Table: Supporting Bay Area Farms with KTA & POST

Join Kitchen Table Advisors (KTA) and Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) for a discussion of what it takes for small, local farms to be successful here in the Bay Area and keep food on our tables. The past year in a pandemic led to an even greater demand for locally sourced food as opposed to traditionally buying in grocery stores. This increased visibility of local farmers and ranchers has also shed light on many of the challenges and systemic barriers they face. Farming and ranching are not easy! Even a well established operation needs to work through difficult issues, from production and labor to marketing and regulatory compliance. For those just starting out, these issues are even more insurmountable and can lead to burn out, fatigue, failing businesses, and broken dreams. We’ll talk about these issues, and the roles POST & KTA play in addressing the challenges of accessing land and capital, balancing conservation and agriculture, and the need for business planning and marketing support. We are looking forward to sharing an open and honest discussion about how our two organizations are working to upend the status quo, uplifting the diverse spectrum of individuals doing this work, and collaboratively and equitably creating new and better systems and relationships. This will be a moderated, 1-hour discussion with time for audience questions featuring Daniel Olstein, Director of Land Stewardship at Peninsula Open Space Trust, and James Nakahara, Farm Business Advisor at Kitchen Table Advisors. The conversation will be moderated by Mark Medeiros, Senior Community Engagement Manager at Peninsula Open Space Trust.