New Woodland Mobile Farmers Market brings fresh, local food to underserved communities

Gerardo Zavala

June 6

Three years after successfully launching the West Sacramento Mobile Farmers Market, the Center for Land-Based Learning launched its Woodland-based mobile market promising to connect communities with little access to fresh and local foods with the small farms that grow them.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday at the Yolo County Health and Human Services CalFresh office located at 25 N. Cottonwood St. in Woodland. The event featured speeches from local government officials and others involved with partner organizations highlighting the importance of the project and the collaboration that was needed to make it possible.

The mobile market is part of the center's Community Food Program, which was created to connect the urban farms in the center's farm business incubator with the residents of their communities. Additionally, it's one of the center's strategies to address the fact that Yolo County has the highest rate of food insecurity in California by bringing nutrient-dense, affordable and locally grown produce to Yolo County neighborhoods that need it the most.

"We're really trying to fight that by bringing our Mobile Farmers Market truck to neighborhoods that don't necessarily have access to fresh, healthy food," Julia Thomas, development and communications manager for the center, said regarding food insecurity.

The mobile market offers culturally relevant food based on feedback received from its customers. "They tell us what they're looking for and then our farmers are able to grow it," Julia Thomas, development and communications manager for the Center for Land-Based Learning, said. (Gerardo Zavala/ Daily Democrat)

She explained that the communities the West Sacramento-based mobile market has been serving receive access to culturally relevant food that they would otherwise not be able to access.

"They tell us what they're looking for and then our farmers are able to grow it," she emphasized. "And 41% of the food that we sold last year was grown on our small Riverfront urban farm in West Sacramento."

Additionally, Thomas noted that the center utilizes "community food ambassadors and partners" who speak all the languages that are represented on the mobile market's route.

Tania Garcia-Cadena, Woodland mayor and executive director of the Woodland Food Closet, attended the ceremony and argued that the mobile market will reach a community that has not had access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

"It's going to help so many people in our community reach nutritious goals that they might not be able to do," she said. "A lot of people are not able to get out and maybe go to a traditional farmers market or grocery store. Bringing it to them is just an option that is really beneficial to them."

Garcia-Cadena also highlighted the many organizations and nonprofits that worked to get this program started and will continue to support it.

"So many organizations and nonprofits, specifically surrounding food, are starting to collaborate more and we all have the same goal of making sure that people are fed nutritious food," she said. "It affects their health, which then affects their participation in the community. It's just an overall goal to make sure that everyone is supported through healthy, nutritious food."

Mary Kimball, CEO for the Center for Land-Based Learning, thanks the many partners and supporters of the center's Community Food Program Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Woodland. (Gerardo Zavala/ Daily Democrat)

CommuniCare Health Center, for example, is utilizing its Produce Rx program that provides patients with diabetes the opportunity to receive $60 per month to spend on produce at the mobile market; the Health Education Council provides volunteers and promotes the truck to the housing developments they support; and Health and Human Services of Yolo County organizes cooking classes and food demonstrations to showcase how convenient and affordable it can be to eat fresh and healthy produce.

Supervisor Angel Barajas, District 5, noted that the Yolo County Board of Supervisors allocated over $220,000 to support the second mobile market in the hopes of providing all communities in Woodland and its surrounding rural areas with fresh produce.

"It's something that we have never done before and being able to partner with the Center for Land-Based Learning is an awesome opportunity to start," he stressed.

The board originally provided roughly $200,000 for the West Sacramento mobile market meaning they have invested approximately $420,000 in total for the program. However, the board has yet to discuss if and how it will provide support in the future.

"If it's a continued success, then we're looking to continue our partnership and seeing how we can support the Center for Land-Based Learning to continue to do more and expand some services," he clarified. "We want to see the success of the pilot program. How many families does it feed? Does it build community? We just want to make sure that we aggregate the data and the stories.

"It's one of a kind and we're hoping that other cities and other counties emulate what's going on in Yolo County."