Mission
The mission of the California Agriculture Committee is to educate and advocate for social equity for family farmers and farm labor, regeneration of soil health for resilience to extreme weather, and improvement in agricultural sustainability and profitability, water conservation, food quality, animal welfare, and ecosystem biodiversity.
One Goal 2023-2024
To plan and support a multi-year campaign accelerating transition away from high-risk pesticides to safe pest control practices in California focusing on:
- environmental justice,
- healthy communities, and
- biodiversity conservation and expansion
California Agricultural Pesticide Use
Our current actions are to:
- Create a strategic plan for a California Beyond Pesticides Campaign
- Develop partnership agreements with other organizations
- Agree on principles and policies related to the USDA National Organic Program and the California Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap
- Align with the Club’s Labor and Economic Justice Program and Beyond Coal and Gas Campaign in a holistic vision of care for impacted people
- Collaborate with affected sectors to build political will for farming and gardening without hazardous chemicals
Related priority issues we may pursue:
- biodiversity on farms and gardens including hedgerows, riparian habitat, and wildlife corridors,
- an effective Healthy Soils Program that minimizes toxic inputs and incorporates robust measurements of outcomes, and
- water infiltration measures on grazed, clear-cut and plowed area
The Sierra Club network of committees, teams and chapters we work with:
- We align with the Energy-Climate Committee toward ambitious carbon sequestration goals and with the 30 X 30 Task Force.
- We welcome collaboration with the Environmental and Social Justice, Zero Waste and Water Committees on farming and gardening, watershed management, and drinking water issues related to our Beyond Pesticides Campaign.
- We support chapters including the new Santa Barbara-Ventura Chapter Agriculture Committee.
- We stay in touch with the national Food and Agriculture Team and Pollinator Protector and CAFO Subteams; the Grazing Team; the Climate Emergency Mobilization Team including its task force developing agrivoltaics policy; and the National Toxics Program
Take Action
We can all take action to transform California’s agricultural system. Whether you are a farmer, rancher, restaurant owner, policy maker, or citizen who loves delicious and sustainable food, find out what action you can take today.
Join Us and Support Transformation in California Agriculture
The Agriculture Committee advocates for state funding and policies that promote food and farming that is safe and healthy for farmers, farmworkers, consumers and the climate. We network with organizations with a similar mission.
We welcome volunteers and people wanting to collaborate. For more information, contact us here.
Explore these resources and lists
Roadmap to an Organic California
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) a non-profit certifier first-of-its kind report on how organic is a solution to California’s toughest challenges from pollution to environmental injustice to the climate crisis.
Benefits Report online. Buy a printed copy HERE.
Policy Report online. Buy a printed copy HERE
Roadmap Off of Hazardous Pesticides
A California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) stakeholder Work Group created the SPM Roadmap. Released in January 2023, webinars introduce how it will reduce pesticide use.
Webinars:
Agricultural Environments (Spanish, English)
Urban Environments (Spanish, English)
More resources:
- Carbon Sequestration
- Problems with Conventional Agriculture
- Food Justice
- Transitioning to Sustainable Agriculture
- Rehabilitating Damaged Ecosystems
- Building Healthy Soils
- Compost
Have comments, questions, or want to join the agriculture committee? Contact us here!
