Solano Local Food System Alliance
Interested in becoming a member of the Solano Local Food System Alliance? Read more below about the goals and benefits of being a member of the Alliance, then fill out this form.

2022 Goals
- Building awareness of the Alliance itself & food system among key stakeholders
- Arrange individual meetings with county supervisors and other key stakeholders, as opportunities arise
- Do one major presentation to City-County Coordinating Council (4Cs). They need to understand where their topics intersect with the local food system and what the Alliance is working on.
- City General Plans: Draft a list of talking points for Fairfield general plan.
- Education for the Alliance
- Arrange special guest speakers for each general Alliance meeting with topics relevant to local food system. These meetings are open to the public.
- 2022 topics
- Feb 3 = Food rescue/food waste
- May 5 = Regenerative agriculture (possibly meet in person, on a farm)
- Aug 4 = TBD
- Nov 3 = TBD
- Development of a Charter for the Alliance
- The Executive Committee will draft/summarize and present to the larger Alliance.
- Benefits, responsibilities and commitments of being on the Alliance will be included.
Playlist of Educational Presentations
Long-term/Overarching benefits of the Alliance’s work
- Improved quality of life
- Preserving open space, ag land and supporting farmers
- Better nutrition and health outcomes
- Better environment and economy
Benefits of serving on the Alliance
● Networking
● Expanding knowledge
● Connection with the issues and others involved in the local food system
● Being part of the solution — working as a group to fix the local food system
● Being part of a coalition to effect systems change
● Playing a role in achieving long-term benefits
Responsibilities of serving on the Alliance
● Sharing data/knowledge/insight
● Participating in a feedback loop to bring information back to the Alliance
● Bringing what you’ve learned from the Alliance back to your organization
● Challenging the status quo, being bold
● Recruiting (especially to fill knowledge gaps on the Alliance)
● Reading and contributing to the Local Food Bites
● Attending meetings
● Persistence
Alliance Reports
Role of the Alliance
Solano Local Food System graphic
Learn more about the Alliance members
Read more about the USDA work that led to the Alliance
2021 Alliance Priorities Update (to be discussed at May 6 meeting)
Policy Report: Campaigning for Local Food Systems in Solano County
Past Meeting Minutes
Oct. 22, 2019 (Listening Sessions)
Upcoming Meetings
3 pm, May 5, 2022
Solano Local Food System Alliance Members
Learn more about each Alliance member here
Robert Burris, President and CEO, Solano Economic Development Corp.
Robin Cox, Senior Health Services Manager, Solano Public Health
Louise Dawson, Restaurant Program Manager, Northern CA SBDC Network
Noah Dove, graduate student, Mills College Lokey School of Business and Public Policy
Gail Feenstra, Director SAREP, UC ANR
Juanita M. Fleming, Program Specialist, CalFresh
John Healy, Vallejo Nutritional Services Manager, Kaiser Permanente
Mike Ioakimedes, Executive Director and CEO, Solano County Fairgrounds
Kristin Kiesel, Assistant Professor of Teaching Agricultural and Resource Economics, Agricultural & Resource Economics Dept., UC Davis
Timothy Kim, CEO and founder, Pharm Fresh
Ed King, Agricultural Commissioner, Solano County
Teri Knight, District Conservationist, USDA-NRCS
Maggie Kolk, Board of Directors, Sustainable Solano
Ben & Denise Lyons, Farmers, Lockewood Acres
Jahniah McGill, Environmental Health Supervisor, Solano County
Elizabeth Monteadora, Community Local Food Advisory Board
Lisa Murray, Marketing, Pleasants Valley Agriculture Association
Tim Murrill, Director, Solano SBDC
Lisa Núñez-Hancock, Culinary Arts Instructor
Heather Pierini, Director, Food is Free Solano
Paula Schnese, Board President, Cultivate Community Food Co-Op
Dana Sykes, Community Local Food Advisory Board
Krechona Westbrook, Community Local Food Advisory Board
Priscilla Yeaney, Assistant Agricultural Commissioner, Solano County

Vallejo Food Rescue Project Promotes Community Collaboration to Share Information, Resources, Food
The Vallejo Food Rescue Project had its official launch meeting in early June at Loma Vista Farm, bringing together people from organizations involved in current food rescue and distribution operations in the city and seeking guidance on how to streamline and shape food rescue efforts in Vallejo.

Regenerative Agriculture: Health for the Land & People
The regenerative agriculture event, which was part of the Solano Local Food System Alliance’s quarterly meeting, brought together three speakers to cover different sustainable agricultural practices and discuss the demonstration permaculture site planned for the farm where the event was held.
Solano Local Food System Alliance work is made possible by a grant from Solano County Public Health in partnership with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.