Local food blazing a trail on Napa County map

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Responding to Napa County's higher-than-average interest in healthy foods, sustainable principles and wellness lifestyle, the board of supervisors last year created a Local Food Advisory Council. Now the council is looking for citizen input to pursue new initiatives, according to a blog on the Napa County Register website.

Monica Cooper, director of the Napa County University of California Cooperative Extension, is an ex-officio member of the council. Cooper is the county’s viticulture farm advisor and a big champion of expanding local food production, according to a previous article in the newspaper.

“It’s important to have more crop diversity,” Cooper was quoted in the story, and she sees that in small plots, not wide swaths of the county.

Napa's Local Food Advisory Council has identified three priority areas and is seeking volunteers to serve on subcommittees for:

Education and Outreach: Help design communications networks to encourage public involvement and information sharing, such as advocacy programs, printed materials, events, website, social media, etc.
Local Food Production and Distribution: Help develop mutually beneficial food supply systems linking local farmers to community kitchens, markets and residents;
Food Policy: Help influence and communicate county rules, regulations and fees for growing, selling and/or donating food products by both home and commercial producers.

Napa County residents are invited to volunteer for one of the subcommittees or find other ways to get involved by attending the advisory council’s next meeting, July 11 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the UC Cooperative Extension meeting room, 1710 Soscol Ave., Napa.

Napa's soil, climate, natural resources and culture position the community to make a positive impact promoting locally grown food and healthful consumption.