California, the nation’s agricultural capital, produces millions of pounds of food each year to feed millions of families across the country.  The state’s nearly 80,000 farms alone account for 15 percent of crop receipts nationally and bring in over $45 billion annually. And yet, equitable access to good food and quality jobs producing food is still out of reach for so many California families.  A movement, however, to purchase locally sourced, fairly and sustainably grown, and healthy food is beginning to build momentum – and these efforts are already helping families gain better access to healthy food, creating quality food system-related jobs, and supporting local entrepreneurship. States, including Vermont, and cities such as Los Angeles are leading the way to enact equitable healthy food procurement policies that are benefitting low-income entrepreneurs of color, small family farmers and farmworkers, while providing consumers access to healthy food. California’s position as the top agriculture producer in the nation and its tremendous budget spent on food leaves it prime for policies supporting local sourcing and procurement.  
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