Roadmap to Organic California: Policy Report released

California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) is releasing a plan to use organic farming to reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.

Three decades of peer-reviewed science backs up the policy solutions laid out in the Roadmap to an Organic California: Policy Report. The report outlines the next steps that will maximize organic’s ability to combat climate change and ensure food security under a changing climate.

“To address the climate crisis today, we must build on what we know works,” says Kelly Damewood, CCOF’s CEO. “Organic farming, with its tremendous capacity to pull carbon out of the atmosphere and store it in soils, is a known solution. Our organic farmers pioneered many of the climate-smart practices that reduce greenhouse gas levels, yet organic comprises only 4 percent of California’s farmland.”

By using the policies in the Roadmap to an Organic California: Policy Report, we can leverage the proven ability of organic to make California better prepared for climate change and to make our communities healthier and more secure.

Beyond the climate benefits, the report outlines the economic and health value of organic farming. By selling locally and creating jobs, organic farms reinvest dollars within the community. As the organic market continues to outpace sales of all other food sectors, organic agriculture creates economic opportunity in both urban and rural communities.

Organic is an innovative approach to farming that builds healthy communities. Organic food is grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which pollute drinking water and harm human health. High levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants make organic food a healthy choice.

Join Sen. Anna Caballero at the release party for the report, hosted by the CCOF Foundation, on Feb. 18 from 5-7:00 p.m.

Organic farmers will advocate for organic in discussions with elected officials at the State Capitol on Feb. 19, starting at 7:15 a.m.

For more information about CCOF, visit www.ccof.org.