California Department of Food and Agriculture has a new webpage with an index of CDFA boards and commissions along with standardized information about each group, including length of term, number of board members, types of board members required by legislation, and contact information for prospective members.
This new page was created to provide easily accessible information about all of CDFA’s boards and commissions for members of the public, including farmers, ranchers and any other agriculture stakeholder groups.
CDFA’s boards and commissions guide policies, regulations and information for California’s agriculture commodity groups and other activities. This index site will help improve access and communication for all California farmers and ranchers, providing a better understanding of these groups as well as information on how to participate and what is required as a new member. It is a step towards ensuring that all California’s farmers and ranchers’ voices are included in policies and decisions that affect their agricultural businesses.
CDFA’s Farmer Equity Report recommended that in order to increase participation for historically underserved groups of farmers and ranchers, there was a need to expand the Boards and Commissions site to include basic and standardized information about each decision-making group, along with a point of contact, so that prospective new board members might be prompted to apply for an open position based on what they read.
A survey conducted for the equity report found that more than 70% of current members of boards and commissions heard about their positions by word of mouth or through an industry meeting. It is hoped this page will become central point of information for members and prospective members.
