FEATURE STORY
FARMING FOR FOOD BANKS: A Novel Concept for an Ageless Issue
By Tim Linden F or almost a year, Orange County Produce in Irvine, Calif., has been growing cabbage, watermelon, zucchini and some celery for the nearby Second Harvest Food Bank on a contract basis in much the same way they would for a processor or a retailer. “It’s the same concept,” said A.G. Kawamura, who is a partner in the growing-shipping operation, along with his brother, Matt. “In fact, we signed a standard grower contract that is very similar to the one we have with a processor.” Kawamura, who is a Western Growers Agriculture from 2003 to 2010, said the idea is to give the food bank a predictable, steady supply of high quality produce. Over the past 30 years, Kawamura has been involved in a handful of projects to provide fresh produce from the field to food banks, Board Member and also served as California Secretary of Food and
but they were always on a very small scale. This project, which is a collaborative effort between the food bank and a non-profit called Solutions for Ag and also includes a small grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, covers the farming of 45 acres with a planned one acre per week being harvested for Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. “We started planting in August (of 2021) for winter harvest,” Kawamura said. “And we have planted about an acre a week ever since. From November into May, we grew mostly cabbage but also some broccoli and celery. More than 1.5 million pounds of fresh produce was harvested for the food bank. Since June 1, we have been harvesting peppers and squash. This week (June 20), we are going to start with watermelons. We should get 200,000 to 300,000 pounds from the field.”
On average, the production amounts to close to 50,000 pounds a week specifically for the food bank, which shares it with its 250 pantry partners around the county. The crops are being grown on the University of California South Coast Research and Extension Center land at a discounted rent. Orange County Produce is farming the land and Second Harvest Orange County is harvesting the crop using volunteers and supplying the bins and pallets. Orange County Produce is getting paid for its services. Kawamura revealed that $6,000 to $10,000 per acre is roughly the return necessary to bring a crop to its harvest stage, depending upon the commodity. He said this concept has wins on so many levels: it helps alleviate hunger for vulnerable populations, it ignites a community’s sense of pride as volunteer harvesters get involved, it activates idle land and it involves ag as a partner in solving the hunger crisis in a sustainable manner. Claudia Bonilla Keller, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank Orange County, said the program has many benefits for the food bank operation and the population it serves. “We are getting wonderful, locally-grown produce and delivering it to vulnerable populations at the peak of its freshness,” she said. “We are delivering quality and quickness to our market at a rate that surpasses the supermarket. We are essentially paying the farmer to farm the land for us.” Keller said buying food is not a unique concept for food banks, especially Second Harvest. The operation endeavors to serve high quality, nutritional food to its clients and it is difficult to do that when just relying on donated food, which is often past its prime. “We often buy eggs and other protein. Most food banks have to do that,” she said.
Second Harvest Food Bank volunteers harvest the cabbage field
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JULY | AUGUST 2022
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