Recently, I got the opportunity to speak with the San Diego County Farm Bureau — a non-profit organization tasked with fostering San Diego agriculture through education, public relations, and public policy advocacy. As someone who’s primarily lived in the urban parts of San Diego, I was shocked to learn that San Diego is ranked #1 in the United States in part time farmers, nursery crops, and avocados — and is home to more small farmers (less than 10 acres) than any other county!
In this interview, you’ll learn how farmers, large and small, contribute to San Diego’s local economy, communities, and food production. You’ll learn about the problems farmers are facing and how they’re striving to overcome them, and how you can support the farmers, large and small, in our community.
If you’d like to learn more and connect with the San Diego County Farm Bureau, you can connect with them on their website.
I’m chiefly interested in the concepts of resilience — personal, communal, and societal. Farms are such an integral part of a community’s health and economic development. What does the concept of resilience mean to you and the San Diego Farm Bureau?
Farmers are the most resilient people when it comes to doing their job, which is providing the community with fresh produce, flora, and fauna. In order to do this, they need to have the persistence to overcome and face the many challenges of farming. Some of these main issues they face include water pricing, pests, labor, and the overburdening of regulations at the local, state, and national levels.
What are some ways that the San Diego Farm Bureau works to build resilience through the San Diego region and the San Diego farming community? What are some ways that farms contribute to resilience within a community?
Farms contribute to all civilized societies because they produce the essentials of life. SDCFB helps famers with regulatory compliance, public education, political advocacy and technical training.
How would you describe the unique character and strengths of the San Diego farming community? What makes it different from other agricultural regions in California and the United States? Can you talk about how San Diego’s small farmers contribute to the local community and food systems?
Our farming community is vastly different than any other region in California or even in the US — we have a lot of growers who do more with less land. The average acreage size in San Diego County is less than 10 acres, and we have more “small farmers” than any other county! San Diego’s Mediterranean-like climate makes it an ideal place to grow agricultural crops and livestock products. More than 3 million people live in San Diego County, and around 5,000 farmers call it home and use the land to make their living. The direct economic output from agricultural production totaled $1.7 billion in 2021.
The high cost of water and land make farming here expensive, so San Diego farms have specialized in integrating agricultural activity and urban living by growing crops that optimize limited acres. San Diego far surpasses its fellow top-producing counties in terms of average dollar value per acre with an agricultural production more valuable than other urbanized areas of California, such as San Francisco, Orange County, and Los Angeles combined!
Can you talk about the integration between urban living and agricultural activity in San Diego County? Are there any programs in place to continue growing this integration? How does this contribute to community resilience, particularly with food systems?
The integration between urban living and agricultural activity in San Diego County is simply due to the availability of farmable land. In many ways it can be more of a hinderance, especially when the neighboring residents do not understand certain farming practices. For others, it might provide an educational aspect. We always hope for the latter for our farmers!
For the farmers who grow and have a farm stand, it is a great way to know where your food comes from and be able to see the fields right next to you — or maybe you see the fields on your way to work every morning, and consumers can develop that relationship with their local farmer. Another interesting wrinkle is that many growers in the county grow nursery and cut-flower wholesale products, so that face-to-face interaction can sometimes be tough.
Other than that face-to-face interaction, there are many other opportunities to provide education to the public, especially through the education system. There is a program called San Diego Ag in the Classroom that is run with the support of Farm Bureau that provides resources to teachers wishing to add agriculture programming to their curriculum. It seems that people are starting to be a little more knowledgeable of where their food comes from, and want to connect with local farmers. We also host a few events that are geared towards both public and legislative outreach.
What are some of the challenges facing San Diego’s agricultural industry currently? What are the opportunities?
There are always the staple issues: water (both availability and cost), invasive pests, labor (it’s increasingly difficult to find labor), and increasing regulation.
However, there are also definitely opportunities! For example, people are becoming more aware of local farming and its importance. Some look to support their local farmers, which is great! There is also a large movement in Ag Tech (agricultural technology) and there will soon be more opportunities for people to become involved in agriculture without necessarily having to be a farmer. This would also create additional ways for farmers to utilize new ag-tech tools.
Certain industrial farming practices, such as large-scale monoculture farming, have come under fire recently for what critics say prizes efficiency and profits at the expense of food quality and human, animal, and environmental health. How can farms balance economic viability and growth and food production with environmental concerns?
As we established earlier, San Diego County farming is small in acreage size yet there are so many crops that can be grown in the climate — there are over 200 crops grown in our region! So “industrial farming practices” are not necessarily something that our farmers participate in, simply because our region doesn’t support that type of farming.
However, I think it is important to point out that most farming operations nationwide understand that without a good product, you can’t make a profit. Farmers are often perceived as using too many pesticides, yet all the farmers I know are extremely conscious of their usage because they don’t want to be wasteful, and pesticide overuse will affect your bottom line. Similarly, a rancher won’t put their animals through harmful processes, since that isn’t compatible with the goal of producing a product that people will purchase.
The question of balancing economic viability, growth, and food production with environmental concerns is something that farmers face every day, and I’m afraid there’s not a simple answer to that.
It appears that sustainable, “alternative” farm methods, such as the concept of permaculture, have been gaining traction in the media. What are some examples of sustainable and regenerative farming practices that are being used by San Diego farmers? Have you seen an increase in these practices?
The words “sustainable” and “regenerative” have definitely created a buzz. However, these are not new practices — they have been around for centuries! Farmers in our region plant cover crops and utilize mulch to rebuild soil health. We have cattle operations that utilize regenerative grazing practices. Similar to what was mentioned above, no farmer wants to harm their land, which is their livelihood and their legacy. These regenerative practices are important to them and will continue to be.
Occasionally, there are new studies that come out, or new farming practices that come to light, that are beneficial for the environment and for the crops. For example, there were many farmers who shifted to high density avocado farming — the farmers gain more product with less space, and irrigation is easier since the plants are closer. The trees actually become healthier and grow more efficient canopies and root systems.
It’s also interesting to note that our avocado growers and cut flower producers utilize space that is often otherwise deemed unusable for other purposes, since their crops are typically on steep, rocky hillsides.
What do you see as the future of farming and food production?
The future of farming and food production can sometimes look difficult for producers in California due to increased regulations and legislative rulings that affect the way people farm. It has gotten increasingly difficult to be a farmer in today’s climate. We don’t see a lot of farmers in San Diego who use farming as their main source of income, they work multiple jobs in order to make it feasible. However, as mentioned, it seems that the public are becoming more conscious of the scene and are more interested in supporting local.
Water use is always a hot button topic in Southern California. How does water use factor into agricultural practices in San Diego? What do you see as the future of water use and resource conservation when it comes to farming and food supply?
Water in San Diego County is very expensive, and the cost causes real economic hardship for our farmers in North County. We expect the cycles of drought and water abundance to be more extreme in the coming years, and conservation alone is not going to solve the water problems farmers face. Public policy should include funding for water storage and infrastructure so that rainfall can be captured, and water storage can be maximized.
Interestingly, conservation regulations are driving the cost of water even higher, which in turn causes more economic hardship, more farm closures, and subsequently reduced consumption and higher prices in a vicious cycle.
What are some ways that others can build resilience in their own life, especially with regards to food security and food systems? What advice would you give to others exploring the idea of growing their own food for the first time?
Farming is a lot harder than people think — and I bet a lot of people’s house plants could help illustrate this point!
There are a lot of local garden centers that are willing to help point interested parties in the right direction, and there is also the San Diego Master Gardeners Association. They have great information on caring for gardens. Luckily, there are a ton of resources out there!
How does supporting local farms (small, part-time, and full-time) contribute to building resilience in the local food system? What are some ways that consumers can support these farmers?
Our local farmers contribute $1.7 billion economically to San Diego County. The San Diego County Crop report details the importance of our local food system and economy. Checking out local farmers markets and CSA programs (community supported agriculture), buying direct, farm stands, and agritourism operations are all great ways to be more connected to your food system.
How are you working to communicate the value of San Diego agriculture and educate the general public on the importance of San Diego farms? What are some ways that the local, non-farming community can get involved in your efforts?
We publish farming news via our magazine, newspaper, email, social media, and website, and proactively seek out media opportunities and speaking engagements to share local agricultural news and successes with our community. We plan events such as “Graze at the Fields” and work with the San Diego Fair to spread the good agricultural word. We host meetings that bring stakeholders together and demonstrate the value of agriculture and the value of working together for the common good. Finally, our membership committee is currently working on a membership level that will be more geared towards public involvement and provide resources to be involved in the local farming scene.
What are the best ways for people to learn more about the San Diego Farm Bureau, your events, the farms that you support, and the local farming scene?
We encourage people to visit our website to learn more about what we do and the events we host. We also have tabs that list the farmers markets in the county. We support all farmers within the county. Farm Bureau also teamed up with the UC Cooperative Extension, and you can find some great information on agritourism at San Diego Agritourism Storymap.
Is there anything that you’d like to talk about that I didn’t ask?
Farmers are no longer a significant part of the population, but are very significant to the overall economy and the health and welfare of any advanced society. It is vitally important for the non-farming public to understand the issues and challenges of farmers and support a healthy and growing farming foundation for their community.
Want to learn more? Go more in depth here:
Thank you to San Diego Farm Bureau County Manager, Taylor Reese, for her help with this interview!
Mick Hammock 
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