Title of Session:  Food Sustainability Panel

Length of Session: 1 hour, 11:00am – Noon,  Friday May 12, 2017

Speakers:  Dr. Amrith Gunasekara, CDFA; Jeanne Merrill, Policy Director, California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN)

Description of Session:  An overview of advances being made in California to advance sustainable food production, including mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.  

Educational Objective:
•    Learn about what this California Administration is doing to promote sustainable agriculture.  A representative of the State Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will highlight the departments work in healthy soils, water efficiency and other environmental farming practices.  
•    Hear why and how California can set an example in ‘climate-smart” agriculture.  The advocate for sustainable and organic agricultural practices will demonstrate the need for and a pathway to achieving “climate-smart” agriculture in California’s $43 Billion industry.
•    Witness what is being done in the field to meet California’s sustainable agriculture goals.  A local farmer will explain what is being done locally and outline the real-word challenges farmers face in being sustainable.

Anticipated Educational Outcomes for Session - Attendees will learn:

•    What “climate-smart” and “sustainable” agriculture means in the California context;
•    About policy and practical steps being taken to advance sustainable agriculture in California; and
•    How food safety and access interface with principles of food sustainability.