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Bay Area Food Landscapes

The Bay Area is known as the cradle of the environmental movement. And it has been a major source of energy for the emerging movement for local, sustainable food production. Now Bay Nature magazine is collaborating with Sustainable Agricultural Education (SAGE) to bring these two vital movements closer together. Bay Nature's October-December 2011 issue includes the special section "Urban Farms to Open Range: Putting Bay Area Food Landscapes on the Map," an eight-page publication featuring a three-page foldout map depicting the agricultural landscapes of Northern California.

Map Preview — Order your copy today!

Preview of the 35-inch-wide foldout map. Check out a larger version (2 MB).

"Urban Farms to Open Range" provides a vivid picture of our local foodshed--which makes up over 40 percent of the Bay Area's land mass--making it tangible with profiles of an urban community garden, a market farm on the urban edge, and a large rural ranch producing on a much larger scale.

Read the stories online.

Farmers' Market Map

Going to a farmers' market is an easy way to get started connecting to your local food landscape. Find a farmers' market near you! this map includes information about 170 markets all over the Bay Area.

data compiled by Sharon Donovan and Kelsey Fenn

A Sampling of Local Farm tours and Web Resources

compiled by Linda Silvey

We list just a few opportunities below. Find comprehensive listings, with interactive maps, on the California Ag Almanac.

Alameda County

Ardenwood Historic Farm
At Ardenwood Historic Farm, you'll find working fields (farmed by a tenant) and a produce stand, all arrayed around a historic farm from the 1870s. A horse-drawn train, lots of cute livestock, Patterson House Museum, and a blacksmith forge are just a few of the things you'll find here.
(510) 544-2797

Contra Costa County

Smith Family Farm
Located a few miles northeast of downtown Brentwood, the Smith Family Farm is known for its heirloom tomatoes. Spring tours for preschoolers and elementary-aged kids are available as well as private summer tours.
(925) 625-5966

Marin County

Marin Agricultural Land Trust
A pioneering nonprofit formed to preserve farmland in Marin County. Check out their website for info about issues in Marin County as well as dates for farm hikes and tours.
(415) 663-1158

Straus Family Creamery
This West Marin dairy was a trailblazer in local, sustainable foods—and in preserving local farmlands. The farm offers tours scheduled through the Marin Agricultural Land Trust.
(707) 776-2887

Napa County

Silverado Trail
The Silverado Trail is a 30 mile off-the-beaten-trail road that connects over 40+ wineries, farms and resorts. Use the trail website to customize your trip.

Long Meadow Ranch
More than just a ranch, Long Meadow also has olive orchards and vineyards. Take a ranch tour and find out about their "full-circle farming" approach.
(707) 963-4555

San Francisco County

Alemany Farm
This longtime community farm is located in San Francisco near the junction of Interstate 280 and Highwat 101. Check out their site for info on community workdays that happen almost every weekend.

Em's Inn
A surprising "farm stay" in the heart of San Francisco, this urban farm teaches guests about beneficial insects, composting, and recycling.
(415) 347-1367

San Mateo County

Pie Ranch
Shaped like a slice of pie, this farm works to educate people about small farms and promote sustainable communities. Their produce heads to Mission Pie in San Francisco.
(650) 879-0995

Harley Farms
This is a perfect place to learn how goat milk becomes award-winning cheese.
(650) 879-0480

Full Circle Farm
Located at Peterson Middle School in Sunnyvale, this farm works to connect students with the environment and community. Drop-in tours take place every Friday at 3 pm and group educational tours are also available.
(408) 735-8154

Solano County

Soul Food Farm
With the strong belief that "you are what you eat", Soul Food farm focuses on animal health and farm care management. Tours are offered once a month on Saturdays (info here).
(707) 365-1798

Rush Ranch
Purchased by the Solano Land Trust, this cattle ranch offers a unique learning experience with its nature center, blacksmith demonstrations, and interpretive hikes through Suisun Marsh.
(707) 432-0150

Suisun Valley Listings
A listing of wineries, farmstands and restaurants in the Suisun Valley of Solano County.

Sonoma County

Full House Farm
A horse farm committed to having an authentic relationship with horses and nature. Tours are available every weekend from May to November.
(707) 829-1561

Farm Trails
This site provides a list of farms by product, region or speciality within Sonoma County.
(707) 837-8896

McClelland's Dairy
The McClellands have come a long way from hand milking cream and milk in 1938. Today, they operate a 600 acre farm using organic and sustainable practices.
(707) 664-0452

General Resources

California Agricultural Alamanac
This site provides maps of farms, markets, information on crops, and a calendar of events.

California Agricultural Tourism Directory
This site provides listings of farm tourism opportunities in every county in the state, with seasons and hours, phone numbers and URLs, and more.

Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture
From the group that runs SF's Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, find out what crops are produced locally, at what farms and during what seasons with this educational mapping tool.
(415) 291-3276

Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)
Creating a movement to connect urban and rural people, this site provides information of farm to school projects, policy, agricultural projects and where to buy local.
(530) 756-8518

Ecological Farming Association
Various topics on sustainability and organic farming can be found under the Farmer blog page at this site. There is also a blog pertaining to genetically modified food concerns.
(831) 763-2111

Food Routes
A website project of FoodRoutes Network connecting resources and organizations to help rebuild community-based farm systems.
570-673-3398

Nourish/Worldlink
Nourish is an educational initiative designed to open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability, particularly in schools and communities. They feature dozxens of videos and other resources about local food systems.

Om Organics
This site provides information on Bay Area food system organizations and articles for new farmers, hands-on and other local farms.
415-358-4131

Roots of Change
This site provides information on policymaking regarding sustainable communities and agriculture. It also includes a page for citizen advocacy.
(415) 391-0545

Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE)
SAGE provides information on projects that link urban and rural sites (urban edge agriculture) in the Bay Area promoting the movement of sustainable agriculture and community.
510-526-1793

Wild Farm Alliance
This website contains case studies, articles, tips, and links to other resources on wild and organic farming.
831-761-8408

Bay Area Food Landscapes funders

This page was created as part of Urban Farms to Open Range, a special publication produced by Bay Nature magazine in collaboration with Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE, sagecenter.org), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting multifunctional agriculture at the metropolitan edge.

Funding for "Urban Farms to Open Range" was provided by:

The Coastal Conservancy is a state agency that protects and restores the natural environment, invests in communities, and helps people get to and enjoy the California coast and the natural lands around San Francisco Bay.

Since 1958, Greenbelt Alliance has been protecting the region's working farms and natural areas and making the Bay Area's cities better places to live by directing growth to create vibrant, walkable neighborhoods surrounded by a greenbelt of open space.

Union Bank Foundation proactively invests in the communities in which the bank and its businesses operate, targeting resources to benefit low- to moderate-income populations and serving as an innovator of partnerships that help to create and sustain healthy communities.

SAGE thanks The San Francisco Foundation for supporting its work on this publication.