I became a farmer because I believe in the power of the land to nourish and sustain our communities. I joined CAFF because I found an organization that believes the same, with nearly 50 years of proving it.
My name is Karla Avila, and I serve as CAFF’s Director of Philanthropy. And like so many women, I wear more than one hat: I am a farmer, an advocate, and a believer that California’s small farms are worth fighting for.
Waking up at dawn each day to tend to my livestock, I often think about the other farmers who are fighting for land access, for fair markets, and for their own survival. While extraordinary in their resilience, they shouldn’t have to fight alone. That’s why I’m writing to ask for your support today.
Every donation to CAFF is an investment in the future of California’s family farms and in the kind of local food system we all want to see thrive in our community.
Sarah Keiser, Wild Oat Hollow & CAFF Board Co-Chair
Moretta “Mo” Browne, of Berkeley Basket CSA at the capitol with Catherine Van Dyke, CAFF’s Director of Water Policy
This year, the United Nations declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer—a recognition long overdue. Women have always been at the heart of agriculture: growing, harvesting, feeding, nurturing the soil and the people who depend on it. At CAFF, that truth is lived every day. Our staff, our board, our members—women have led and shaped this organization from the very beginning. Even at a time when the agricultural industry rarely made room for us, CAFF did.
It was because of their leadership that for nearly 50 years CAFF has advocated for government programs that support small farms, sustainable agriculture, and local food systems: programs like Farm to School, conservation initiatives, emergency relief, and more recently, Farms Together, an innovative program that connected hundreds of small farms with food banks across the state.
But last year, sweeping federal budget cuts terminated these programs and many others like them, erasing decades of hard-won progress overnight.
Today, we are fighting to restore them, and we won’t stop. But we’ve also been reminded of something essential: we cannot build a resilient food system on federal funding alone.
Our Goal: $1 Million to Keep Farmers Farming
That’s why CAFF has launched a campaign to raise one million dollars–to replace what federal cuts have taken away–so we can keep delivering the programs that farmers and communities depend on.
What does $1 million make possible? It means a farmer in the Central Valley can still access the technical assistance she needs to transition to more sustainable practices. It means a food hub in Ventura can keep buying from small farms, distributing to the institutions that feed those in need. It means kids in an Oakland school cafeteria can still enjoy a locally-grown lunch. It means a family farmer doesn’t have to quit.
CAFF was not built on government grants. It was built by people—farmers, eaters, advocates—who believed that family-scale agriculture deserved a champion. That grassroots foundation has always been our greatest strength.
Anna Knight, Old Grove Orange, Farms Together food hub operator & CAFF Board Vice-President
Your gift today is a direct investment in these farmers. Every dollar raised goes toward keeping those programs running, those farmers supported, and those communities fed.
As a woman farmer, I know what it means to show up every day for something you believe in, even when conditions get tough. Thank you for showing up for us.
With deep gratitude,
Karla Avila, farmer & CAFF Director of Philanthropy