New Publications from the California Institute for Rural Studies

[Guest guest]

The California Institute for Rural Studies is pleased to announce the

publication of two new reports:

A Workforce Action Plan for Farm Labor in California

An essential, yet often overlooked component of a more sustainable food

system is the ability to provide food system workers - the individuals

that produce, harvest, process, deliver, prepare and sell our food - with

safe and dignified working conditions, a decent standard of living and

the right to live and work legally in the US. Five grassroots

organizations with long-standing ties to the agricultural community –

California Rural Legal Assistance

Foundation, California Institute for Rural Studies,

Community Alliance with Family

Farmers, the Farmworker

Institute for Education and Leadership Development and

Ag Innovations Network – convened

a series of joint convenings with agricultural workers and growers to

develop a vision for more sustainable farm labor conditions in

California. This report presents a synthesis of those findings, including

key elements of that vision and strategies for achieving it. The research

was commissioned by the Roots of Change

Fund and supported by The

California Endowment.

To download a copy of this report

click here

Clearing the Air: Mitigating the Impact of Dairies

on Fresno County’s Air Quality and Public Health

Fresno County suffers from some of the worst air quality in the

United States. The health-related costs of poor air quality in Fresno

County are estimated at $1.7 billion per year. In addition to

automobiles, electricity generation and other sources of pollution,

Fresno’s large agricultural base also contributes to poor air quality.

Dairies are responsible for some of the most harmful emissions in Fresno

County, including smog-forming volatile organic compounds (VOC) and

toxins such as ammonia, which are associated with harmful particulate

pollution. This report, commissioned by the

Fresno Healthy Dairy

Commission, describes the impacts of the dairy sector on air quality

in Fresno County, and outlines a number of cost-effective mechanisms to

reduce dairy emissions in Fresno County while maintaining the economic

viability of that sector.

To download a copy of this report

click here

Ron Strochlic

Executive Director

California Institute for Rural Studies

221 G Street, Suite 204

, CA 95616

530-756-6555 x16

www.cirsinc.org