Agricultural Institute Of Marin

THE MISSION OF THE AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE OF MARIN (AIM) IS TO EDUCATE, INSPIRE, AND CONNECT COMMUNITIES, RESPONSIBLE FARMERS, AND PRODUCERS AS PART OF A HEALTHY, EARTH-FRIENDLY, EQUITABLE LOCAL AND REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEM. AIM SERVES 390+ FARMERS, FOOD PURVEYORS, AND ARTISANS FROM 44 CALIFORNIA COUNTIES WHO PARTICIPATE IN AIM'S NINE CERTIFIED FARMERS MARKETS ACROSS THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. AIM PROVIDES HANDS-ON AND VIRTUAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS, OPERATES A FARM AUDIT PROGRAM, RUNS A MOBILE MARKET FOR OLDER ADULTS AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, CURATES A MULTI-FARM BOX PROGRAM, AND OPERATES CALFRESH/EBT AND MARKET MATCH SERVICES.

FARMERS MARKETS EDUCATIONAL VENUES - AIM'S CERTIFIED FARMERS MARKETS PROVIDE CRITICAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS WHERE AIM, FARMERS, AND FOOD MAKERS ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY AND EDUCATE ABOUT THE HEALTH, SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF EATING LOCALLY AND SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED FOOD. WITH THE LINGERING COVID-19 PANDEMIC, FARMERS MARKETS CONTINUED TO OFFER A STABLE LOCAL FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN AT A TIME WHEN WE HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE DISRUPTIONS TO FOOD DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES. AIM MARKET MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTED AND COMMUNICATED COVID-19 MARKET SAFETY GUIDELINES RESULTING IN 100% OF OUR CERTIFIED FARMERS MARKETS REMAINING OPEN AS A PUBLIC BENEFIT IN 2021. AIM'S INTERNAL RESEARCH INDICATES THAT OVER 30,000 SHOPPERS AND EATERS A WEEK DEPEND ON AIM MARKETS.IN 2021, AIM MANAGED 396 FARMERS MARKET EVENTS TO OFFER LOCAL FOODS AND AND COMMUNITY BUILDING ACROSS THREE BAY AREA COUNTIES. FARMERS, RANCHERS, FISHERS, FOOD PURVEYORS, AND ARTISANS TRAVEL FROM 44 CALIFORNIA COUNTIES TO HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC AT AIM'S MARKETS LOCATED IN THE CITIES OF HAYWARD, NEWARK, OAKLAND, SAN FRANCISCO, AND SAN RAFAEL. IN ADDITION, AIM ASSUMED THE MANAGEMENT OF THE BELOVED POINT REYES FARMERS MARKET, THE FIRST ORGANIC FARMERS MARKET IN THE BAY AREA, TO GIVE NEW LIFE TO A MARKET THAT WAS STRUGGLING FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND RESUMED OPERATION OF THE SAN RAFAEL SUMMER MARKET OFFERING NIGHTTIME FOOD ACCESS FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. WE MAINTAIN INTEGRITY BY VERIFYING THAT ALL FARMERS PARTICIPATING IN AIM FARMERS MARKETS ARE COMPLYING WITH SPECIFIC CERTIFIED FARMERS MARKET PROGRAM REGULATIONS AND WITH AIM'S RULES AND REGULATIONS; WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT OUR FARMERS ARE SELLING ONLY PRODUCTS THAT THEY GROW.

DIGGIN' EDUCATION PROGRAMSAIM OFFERS THREE FARM-BASED EDUCATION PROGRAMS: DIGGIN' IN THE CLASSROOM, DIGGIN' AT THE MARKET, AND DIGGIN' ON THE FARM. OUR GOAL IS TO EMPOWER YOUTH TO MAKE HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES THAT WILL POSITIVELY IMPACT THEIR LONG-TERM HEALTH. KNOWLEDGE OF WHERE FOOD AND FIBER COME FROM, HOW CROPS ARE GROWN, WHY FARMERS CHOOSE TO FARM AND WHAT IS IN SEASON, IS A POWERFUL TOOL FOR TEACHING GOOD NUTRITION. IN 2021, DUE TO THE LINGERING COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE PIVOTED OUR DIGGIN'EDUCATION PROGRAMS FROM A FACE-TO-FACE TO VIRTUAL FORMAT. WE PRODUCED 20 EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS POSTED TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL, FILMED 4 VIRTUAL FARMERS MARKET TOURS, HOSTED 10 VIRTUAL CLASSROOM SESSIONS THAT REACHED 10 SCHOOLS, 250 STUDENTS, AND 25 PARENTS/CHAPERONES. LEARNING ABOUT WHERE FOOD IS GROWN AND HOW IT GETS TO YOUR PLATE IS AN IMPORTANT WAY FOR STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO BECOME MORE ENGAGED IN THE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM. AIM'S DYNAMIC EDUCATIONAL WEBSITE WHICH ATTRACTS OVER 9,000 VISITORS PER MONTH FEATURES CONTENT ABOUT LOCAL FOOD, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, SEASONALITY, NUTRITION BENEFIT PROGRAMS, SEASONAL RECIPES, AND FARMERS MARKETS. AIM-PRODUCED, E-BLAST NEWSLETTERS PROVIDE OVER 4,300 SUBSCRIBERS WITH IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS AND LINKS TO ARTICLES THAT RELATE TO SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND NEWS ABOUT AIM'S PROGRAMS. AIM ALSO HAS AN ONLINE PRESENCE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, INCLUDING FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, AND YOUTUBE.

THE ROLLIN' ROOT MOBILE MARKETIN 2021, AIM STRENGTHENED ITS STAR FOOD ACCESS PROGRAM, THE ROLLIN' ROOT, A MOBILE MARKET THAT INCREASES ACCESS TO FARM-FRESH FOOD AND NUTRITION EDUCATION FOR OLDER ADULTS AND OTHER UNDERSERVED GROUPS REGARDLESS OF TRANSPORTATION OR ECONOMIC BARRIERS. THIS WAS OUR THIRD YEAR OF SERVICE, AND WE FOCUSED ON SERVING OLDER ADULTS AT LOW-INCOME SENIOR HOUSING SITES AND COMMUNITIES WITH LIMITED TO NO FRESH FOOD ACCESS. IN TOTAL, WE SERVED 6,372 PARTICIPANTS, AND AN AVERAGE OF 489 PEOPLE PER WEEK. ADDITIONALLY, WE RECRUITED AND TRAINED 11 COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS TO JOIN EACH ROLLIN' ROOT STOP TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, SHARE RECIPES, AND PROVIDE COOKING TIPS TO SHOPPERS. OUR NUTRITION EDUCATOR PRODUCED 15 NUTRITION EDUCATION VIDEOS AND IN-PERSON LESSONS TO TEACH PARTICIPANTS ABOUT SEASONALITY AND EATING HEALTHY ON A BUDGET. WE RECEIVED A USDA LOCAL FOOD PROMOTION PROGRAM (LFPP) GRANT TO STRENGTHEN REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEMS AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT FOOD ACCESS THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MOBILE FARMERS MARKETS.