CAFF 45th Anniversary Landing Page - Community Alliance with Family Farmers

Celebrating CAFF's 45th Anniversary

For 45 years, CAFF has been the voice of family-scale agriculture in California. As we celebrate our 45th anniversary, we are thrilled to share with you—the farmers, food system advocates, and lovers of local foods who make our organization possible—our 5-year strategic plan. We have big ambitions to bring positive change to our food and farming systems in the coming years. Read on to see how we’re evolving and what we have planned.

Photos by Megan and Nabor Contreras

CAFF's Anniversary Soiree

In honor of CAFF’s 45th anniversary, we hosted a special Summer Soiree at the beautiful Full Belly Farm, featuring a feast with farm-fresh seasonal ingredients, local beer and wine, a raffle and auction, and lots of live music and fun!

Farmer to Farmer

Looking back on 45 years, CAFF is celebrating its big anniversary with a video series called, ‘Farmer to Farmer.’ We are traveling around California documenting conversations between farmers central to CAFF’s earliest years and those just getting started in their farming careers and leadership at CAFF.

Through the personal stories told, you’ll hear how the landscape of local food, family farms, and sustainable agriculture has changed since CAFF’s founding in 1978, from public perception and the marketplace to the cost of land and the rising threat of climate change. But you’ll also hear how new and old generations alike have leveraged CAFF to affect positive change for over four decades, realizing the power of collective action and solidarity. These are the people who make CAFF possible–past, present, and future.

From CAFF’s 10th Anniversary Party to our 45th!

CAFF founders, friends, former and current board members, and staff met at the June Anniversary Party to celebrate CAFF’s 45-year history and discuss the future of CAFF’s work.

Photos by Nolan Kirby

Have a memory of CAFF that you'd like to share?

We would love to hear about your stories from CAFF’s history in celebration of our 45th anniversary!

Executive Director Testimonials:

“I have been asked 'How was CAFF started?' It began with a study to see if there was enough support for a small family farm organization. For a couple months I traveled around the state visiting more than 30 farms and found there was an amazing degree of support. This led to an organizing retreat that approved the basics of what became CAFF. What do I see as being unique about CAFF? For one thing I see CAFF as an organization that promotes members speaking out to the leadership of CAFF and to one another. This has been evidenced at its conferences and other meetings. We even started some conferences with a panel of three farmer members telling something unique about their operations."

“California Agrarian Action Project (CAAP), when founded, conducted its meetings in Spanish and English. From the beginning, we focused on the clear articulation of how to understand and use the levers of power to create – an early pioneer of what is now known as 'environmental justice. [...] The impacts of this early work include new laws requiring collection and public release of government records on the health impacts of pesticides and requiring the posting of agricultural fields that have been sprayed with toxic chemicals; and conception of and passage of the law that created the UC Sustainable Agriculture, Research, and Education Program. CAAP’s work continues to improve our state, nation and planet.”

“By lifting up farmers and ranchers who work in partnership with their communities and who practice environmental stewardship, CAFF represents a constituency that no one else is looking out for. Over 45 years, CAFF has been steadfast in its determination to combine on-the-ground practical solutions with sophisticated public policy advocacy, addressing thorny issues of water, pesticide use, equity, land access and family farm survival.”

"CAFF was created to represent the small farmer and time and again we have found that CAFF is the only organization in California making small farmers a priority at the policy level. This has often brought us into conflict with other farm organizations, but no one doubts our sincerity. CAFF has represented the farmers selling directly to the public through farmers’ markets throughout its history but now it is attempting to represent new groups of immigrant farmers and farmers of color as the demographics of the state have changed."

"Farming is challenging. Despite the increased public interest in eating healthy food, farmers still face an uphill battle, which is where CAFF comes in. CAFF works to support family-scale farmers, which is less about the size of the farm and more about the values that the farmer possesses. Family-scale farming creates diversity and resiliency, which in turn supports communities and ecosystems. In my tenure as Executive Director at CAFF, I had the pleasure to work with so many people who exemplify the spirit of CAFF's mission and the impact of CAFF’s efforts. These people are part of a growing movement and CAFF continues to grow with it."

“What drew me to CAFF and why I remain excited to work here is that it is a unique agricultural organization that is committed to environmental stewardship, economic fairness, social justice, and building local food systems; we tackle significant crises of our times — including climate change, Wall Street's land and water grabs, and racial inequity — with the practical optimism of farmers that steward California's lands. These family-scale farmers are our leaders and we aid or facilitate their efforts to manage each new pest, pass each new piece of legislation, or supply each new piece of fruit to their local school district with the same determination."

Celebrating CAFF's 45th ​Anniversary

CAFF's Anniversary Soiree

Farmer to Farmer

From CAFF’s 10th Anniversary Party to our 45th!

Have a memory of CAFF that you'd like to share?​

Celebrating CAFF's 45th Anniversary

Have a memory of CAFF that you'd like to share?