Solano Local Food System Alliance

The Solano Local Food System Alliance includes a wide variety of stakeholders committed to fulfilling the mission of creating an environmentally sustainable, economically viable, socially just and equitable local food system in Solano County.

The Solano Local Food System Alliance meets quarterly on the first Thursday of the month, usually at 4 pm. An executive committee of Alliance members meet monthly to move the work forward between the quarterly meetings of the full 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

Solano Local Food System Alliance Members

Learn more about each Alliance member here

Mary Ann Buggs, Co-Founder and Administrative Director, Faith Food Fridays

Gabie Carne, Community Member

Robin Cox, Senior Health Services Manager, Solano Public Health

Leslie Daughtery, Program Analyst, CalFresh

Louise Dawson, Restaurant Program Manager, Northern CA SBDC Network

Gail Feenstra, Director SAREP, UC ANR

Whitney Galindo, Nutrition Program Manager, Catholic Charities of Yolo Solano

John Healy, Vallejo Nutritional Services Manager, Kaiser Permanente

Olivia Henry, Regional Food Systems Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension

Mike Ioakimedes, Executive Director and CEO, Solano County Fairgrounds

Ron Kane, Community Member

Kristin Kiesel, Assistant Professor of Teaching Agricultural and Resource Economics, Agricultural & Resource Economics Dept., UC Davis

Ed King, Agricultural Commissioner, Solano County

Teri Knight, District Conservationist, USDA-NRCS

Maggie Kolk, Board of Directors, Sustainable Solano

Rose Loveall, Farmer, Morningsun Herb Farm

Ben & Denise Lyons, Farmers, Lockewood Acres

Marta McFarland, Community Member

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