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Program needs assessment

Needs Assessment Summary (March 2023)

by Olivia Henry, Regional Food Systems Advisor, UCCE Capitol Corridor and Placer-Nevada

Why do a needs assessment?

New UC Cooperative Extension advisors are asked to carry out a needs assessment – a “systematic process to determine needs, the measurable gaps between current and desired conditions.” This ongoing process helps me figure out how to best serve the people and groups I’m accountable to, including:

  • food policy and food security councils
  • community-based organizations focused on food systems
  • small- and medium-scale farmers and ranchers
  • small-scale food entrepreneurs including value-added food producers
  • food processors
  • food aggregators
  • farmers’ market operators
  • charitable food organizations including food banks

What did I do?

Step 1: I read reports, held informal conversations, volunteered and attended programs. I gathered themes and observations from those experiences and sorted them into broad buckets.

Reading reports

Informal conversations

  • Food aggregators or distributors: 5 conversations
  • Community-based organizations: 9 conversations
  • Food bank or food recovery organizations: 3 conversations
  • Small- and medium-scale farmers: 11 conversations
  • Institutional purchasers: 2 conversations
  • UC and UC ANR: 11 conversations
  • Government and agency representatives: 10 conversations

Participant observation – volunteering, event attendance

  • 4 food policy or security councils
  • 3 food bank or charitable food distributions
  • 3 farmers’ markets
  • 1 UC ANR workgroup: Urban Agriculture
  • 1 cross-sector coalition: California Meat Processing Coalition
  • Courses: Introduction to MEHKO, FSMA Produce Safety Training
  • Conferences: California Small Farm Conference, HomeCOOKed, EcoFarm

Step 2: I created a list of potential extension activities that would address needs I heard in Step 1. Next, I wrote a survey asking people to rank those activities based on what would be helpful to their business or program in the next few years. I sent the survey to 25 people I spoke with and 20 of them responded anonymously. You can read the full results here or see a summary of the top-ranked activities below:

Top three activities related to marketing

  • Educating consumers about local agriculture and food systems
  • Supporting market connections between producers, processors, institutional buyers and individual consumers & Identifying opportunities to increase institutional purchasing of local food (tied)
  • Expanding access and use of local food among low-income consumers

Top three activities related to processing and distribution

  • Evaluating opportunities for expanded aggregation and distribution infrastructure (e.g. food hubs, cold storage, trucking, etc.)
  • Evaluating opportunities for expanded processing facilities (e.g. slaughterhouses, packing facilities, commercial kitchens, etc.)
  • Increasing education and resources around value-added food production

Top three activities related to food waste

  • Evaluating opportunities for expanded composting facilities, including mid-scale facilities
  • Educating food waste generators about SB 1383, California's organic waste and food recovery law
  • Understanding the quality of municipal compost and the degree to which it meets the needs of food system actors

Top three activities related to other food systems issues                    

  • Addressing barriers to land access for urban agriculture, farmers and ranchers
  • Connecting food policy/security groups in the region to enhance collaboration and success
  • Expanding scale and use of upstream anti-poverty and nutrition support programs

Outcomes

Based on the results of the survey and other feedback, I hope to focus on the following topics in the near future. It’s important to mention that needs assessments are dynamic, so new ideas, insights and conditions will inform these emphases in the years to come.

Emphasis 1: CalFresh and Market Match access at farmers’ markets: People’s ability to use CalFresh benefits at farmers’ markets – as well as receive additional dollars to spend at the market through the Market Match program – varies widely throughout the five counties I serve. Increasing access to both would benefit consumers and growers. My activities around this topic could include research efforts, public presentations, educational workshops and individual technical assistance.

Emphasis 2: Light processing of produce for institutional markets: The Sacramento region lacks small and mid-sized processing facilities for produce. A greater number and diversity of businesses that can wash, trim, peel, cut or freeze produce may make it easier for large institutions to source from nearby growers. My activities around this topic could include research efforts, feasibility studies, sample cost of production studies and public presentations. 

Emphasis 3: Supporting the work of food policy councils, food security councils and other coalitions: County-based food policy councils, food security councils and other coalitions are often well-attuned to local needs and values. Supporting their priorities along with my own initiatives will help my work be responsive. Different groups have different areas of interest, including meat processing, community kitchens, SB 1383, anti-poverty programs, medically tailored meals and food aggregation. My activities around these topics could include research efforts, public presentations, educational workshops and individual technical assistance.  

Outstanding questions: These questions emerged regularly in my informal conversations and were reinforced by the survey results. I’m still exploring how my extension activities would best address these questions.

  • What type of education or evaluation would be most useful to food waste generators and food recovery organizations around SB 1383?
  • What is or could be the role of prepared meals in the charitable food system?
  • Who holds cottage food, MEHKO and/or community food producer licenses in our region, and how are they interacting with the wider food system?
  • How do existing agricultural ombudspersons assist producers in their counties? In counties without these positions, how are local governments actively helping producers to navigate rules and regulations?

Thank you

I’m grateful to everyone who helped me learn about their program, business or neighborhood and how my role can be of service. Please reach out to me if you have any questions: omhenry@ucanr.edu