Marin Organics is an association of farmers in Marin County, California. The organization is directed by local farmers with support from the UC Cooperative Extension. One of the goals of Marin Organics is to increase the number of organic farmers in the county as well as supporting established organic growers. This has been accomplished through a variety of programs including apprenticeships, workshops, marketing assistance, and organic certification assistance.
Marin has also sought to increase public involvement in agriculture through various events such as farm tours and farmers markets. One program in progress is the Marin Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program. The goal of this program is to work with schools to offer organic lunch options by providing purchased and “gleaned” produce to school cafeterias. The gleaned produce consists of fruits and vegetables that could not be harvested and sold because of unpleasing appearance. This produce would otherwise be left in the fields and can constitute up to 20% of what was grown.
Mike Gale and his grass-fed cattle
strawberries from Sartori Farms
I think that Marin is an exciting organization to watch because they are encouraging many small-scale, local farms (many of which are 10 acres or less). These small farms are generally less concerned with making massive profits and more concerned with growing quality produce without having a negative impact on the environment. Marin is also to be commended for reaching out to the public in an effort to increase awareness about the sources of our food. As more people begin to question the sustainability of large-scale factory farms and agricultural chemicals, I hope that more organizations like Marin will spring up.
