LAKEPORT >> Blue Zones, geographic regions that boast the largest numbers of centenarians (100 yrs +), owing to a plant-based diet and life-long family and friends’ relationships, according to researchers, was examined at the Boards of Supervisors Tuesday, in a presentation advocating support for the burgeoning Lake County Food Policy Council (LCFPC)
At the behest of Supervisor Bruno Sabatier, Rebecca Harper of the Lake County Farm Bureau and public advocate Greg Damron of Blue Zones Project Lake County, have collaborated to make the county more food resilient. The Blue Zone includes the following places: Okinawa, Ikarkia, Sardinia, Nicoya, and Loma Linda, CA, as having a history of the healthiest life practices.
Damron, is Blue Zones Project Lake County’s Public Policy Advocate. He brings 25 years of international field experience in the arenas of preventative public health, food security, community development and policy advocacy and has collaborated with Sabatier on the initiative.
Since joining the team in 2022, Damron devotes much of his personal time to developing his property into a regenerative subsistence farm. He is promoting well-being and healing for himself, his family and his friends by creating community around finding purpose with small-scale agriculture that promotes natural movement and field-to-fork home-grown healthy nutrition. He can often be found on local conservation area trails photographing Lake County’s wealth of botanical treasures.
Sabatier noted the county is happy to present to the public what has happened so far and what is taking action in the upcoming months.
Harper explained she was working a while in the Women for Agriculture Adventure program. AgVenture consists of day-long seminars that meet once a month for four months: August, September, October and November. focusing on a different major commercial crop grown in Lake County, “It stemmed from Bruno’s association with Agventure and he left us some questions of how we could we build a more food resilient community from the consumer and producer standpoint,” Harper said. “We’re getting our bylaws set and (forming) a strategic plan to make sure that this effort is sustained into the future. And the purpose is to advance a solution for Lake County’s local food and farm economics so growers and eaters can thrive.”
LCFPC’s vision embraces the idea that nutritious local produced food can be accessible to everyone. “Lake County is an isolated community, and not only does it put our citizens at risk in a wildfire disaster, but is now focused on what may be their best chance to achieve sustainability if an emergency cuts off outside resources,” she added. “So, the strategic plan (LCFPC) will help local Ag improve public health, foster collaborations and build a sustainable food system in county, instead of working on multiple issues separately. LCFPC assumes a holistic view that many of these issues are connected and work on them simultaneously.
LCFPC will do this by a strategic plan that strengthens food infrastructure, enhances food system work forces which acts in support of Ag friendly zoning and policy. For those desiring more people to raise beef, cattle, goats and the like, there must be a means to process it and for that, the county needs economies of scale. Implementing those means the county must grow market channels to process initial food harvest by processing it in certified facilities so it can be marketed. Industries are stronger when they work together. One example is LCFPC expanding partnerships with the Gleaners, which provides donated food for distribution to the elderly, homeless, and low-income families of Lake County, at numerous pick-up locations.
But can LCFPC’s policy dig still deeper? “What does Ag friendly look like,” Harper wondered. “Use zoning and planning to facilitate local food system development through a reliable network to assure ICFP is sustained.” Also, to keep community decision makers informed of prior and ongoing progress. This will enable LCFPC engage the Blue Zone staff in a support role to the LCFPC’s board members. “We’re already in (the habit) of keeping the county’s decision makers informed, but a lot of residents don’t know of the good work that’s happening so, we want to make sure citizens are informed of the vital work we’ve done so far and will do in the future.”
But to ensure future work success, the LCFPC will secure a fiscal agent in 2025 with a grant, as well as set up an agenda, then establishes a Memorandum of Understanding with Blue Zones and recruit one of their staffers for a support role and integrate that individual in the LCFPC membership. So the by-laws currently provide a process to draft new members. The council will be made up of 11 total members, that will include a chair, vice-chair and secretary who will be appointed each January.
Harper noted that many in the agricultural community and the public asked how LCFPC will differ the Ag Advisory Committee. “Ag Advisory was used in response to issues,” she said. We want our collaboration to act as a pro-active effort to look at longer term questions, and using funding opportunities to our benefit, to focus on food and local production in Lake County.”
Sabatier went on to state that the county as a whole has seen a decrease in food production as well as an increasing aging population. “If we can reposition ourselves to be more self-sufficient, the better off we will be,” he said. In his initial proposal to Harper, he advocated for more farmers, but she countered with increased markets. “That’s when Blue Zones fit the bill,” he said. “Blue Zones is pledging support with other businesses and agencies; Adventist Health, Konocti School District and Foods Etc. is seeking to collaborate with the board on which grants to go after to achieve goals of the strategic plan.”
He then indicated other changes in the works to achieve organizational goals but asked County Counsel Lloyd Guintivano, if he had the authority to implement such transitions. Guintivano replied to his understanding, the ICFPC already approved the desired changes. “So, it sounds like we’re good to move forward,” he said. Sabatier then moved to vacate the membership of the ICFPC. A second motion was offered in support and the board voted unanimously in favor.
