San Diego Food System Alliance Launches Curated and Vetted Digital Resource Libraries for Small Producers and Food Business Owners
The Issue
Small-scale farmers, fisher folk, and food business owners in San Diego County often lack access to accurate, up-to-date, and actionable information to navigate the complexity of running a viable business. Businesses are forced to navigate confusing regulatory systems, fragmented funding opportunities, and unclear pathways to trusted technical assistance—barriers rooted in bureaucratic processes that are not designed for small-scale producers. Needs assessments and ongoing engagement with local food businesses surfaced a shared barrier: information exists, but it is scattered, outdated, or difficult to interpret without industry-specific support. This information gap hinders the ability of food producers to make informed decisions and access the resources necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing economic and regulatory landscape.
Response
In response, the Local Food Economy Lab (the Lab), an initiative of the San Diego Food System Alliance and a partner in the Southwest Regional Food Business Center (SWRFBC), launched a suite of curated, accessible, and stakeholder-informed digital Resource Libraries (https://lab.sdfsa.org/resources/home). The Resource Libraries provide tailored guidance for three key audiences: farmers and ranchers, fisher folk, and food business owners in San Diego County. These industry-specific libraries include information on compliance and licensing, operations, infrastructure, sustainability practices, and marketing strategies. In addition, the Lab published cross-cutting tools such as a Cooperative Development Resource Library, Grants Directory, Lender Directory, Consultant Directory, and a Community Capital Glossary. These tools were developed in close consultation with local producers and technical assistance providers to ensure contextual relevance, clarity, and usability.
Impact
The publication of the Resource Libraries has filled a critical gap by establishing a go-to, centralized resource hub for small-scale farmers, fisher folk, and food business owners in San Diego County. These tools now serve as a trusted foundation for producers to access vetted information relevant to their industry, reducing time spent navigating fragmented or confusing systems. Since going live, the Resource Libraries have had 850 website visitors. Feedback from users has been overwhelmingly positive, with producers and technical assistance providers noting that the platform is intuitive, comprehensive, and helpful in clarifying next steps for business development and compliance. A group of technical assistance providers which meets monthly in San Diego County to share and develop knowledge and skills has emphasized how helpful it is to have a centralized platform of resources to reference when supporting producers in their technical assistance work.
One farmer, the owner-operator of a regenerative farm in Valley Center, recently expressed how critical the Lender Directory has been for her business. After investing heavily in her new property, she is currently navigating the challenge of debt repayment and exploring financing options with the Lab team. She shared that it was a relief to have access to a curated list of lenders she could trust had been vetted by the Lab as less extractive and more values-aligned. She emphasized that, in a landscape that feels dominated by predatory lenders, having this resource gave her greater confidence while exploring her options. The Lab team is now supporting her in applying for a business loan.
The SWRFBC played a critical role in facilitating the development of the Resource Libraries by funding staff time to research, compile, and design the user interface. This investment enabled the San Diego Food System Alliance to launch this centralized, stakeholder-informed hub of food business tools. The Resource Libraries have also garnered interest from other partners in the SWRFBC who see value in replicating this model. In collaboration with these partners, the Alliance shared internal design processes and data collection methods to support the development of similar regionally tailored tools—extending the impact of this work beyond San Diego County.