Policy Research
In service of the good food movement, we conduct original research on policy barriers and possibilities in the United States and abroad.
Great Plates Delivered
Senior Nutrition in Pandemic: The California Great Plates Delivered Program
MAY 2021
Sakeenah Shabazz
Goldman School of Public Policy student and BFI Policy Assistant Sakeenah Shabazz researched Great Plates Delivered, a COVID-19 emergency response program. This pilot program delivered food to isolated or food insecure seniors and maintained jobs for food workers at risk of unemployment during the pandemic. As of May 2021, the program has served over 55,000 seniors and helped keep almost 900 restaurants open in 40 of California’s 58 counties.
Download the full report here. Learn more and see survey results in the Appendix here.
Organic Agriculture & State Governments
Growing Organic, State by State: A Review of State-Level Support for Organic Agriculture
September 2017
By Laura Driscoll and Nina F. Ichikawa
This report seeks to highlight the opportunities and challenges facing state departments of agriculture as they respond to market and farmer demand to increase organic acreage.
The following key recommendations for state departments of agriculture emerged from this study:
1. Expand Dedicated Organic Support at the State Level
2. Incorporate Organic Agriculture Fully into State Marketing and Promotion Efforts
3. Clarify and Further Disseminate NOP Guidance to States
4. Work Closely with Outside Groups that Serve Organic Farmers
5. Monitor Transition of Cost-Share Administration
6. Expand Language Access for Existing and Prospective Organic Producers
7. Support Future Research and Data Collection
Twenty-one states across four distinct regions were chosen as a representative sample, and the availability of services as well as unique characteristics from each state were compiled through personal interviews, literature reviews, state government documents, and other sources. The states we surveyed represent over $5 billion in sales of organic products and over 3 million acres in organic production across the US.
Download the executive summary and full research report here.
Pollinators
Policy Analysis Paper: Policy Mainstreaming of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services with a Focus on Pollination
DECEMBER 2014
Terra Rose, Claire Kremen, Ann Thrupp, Barbara Gemmill-Herren, Benjamin Graue, and Nadine Azzu
The Berkeley Food Institute collaborated with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to author this publication. It considers the mainstreaming of ecosystem services at both national and international levels, with a focus on pollination services. Following work undertaken through the GEF/UNEP/FAO Global Pollination Project, and through funding from the Norwegian Environment Agency, this publication addresses the interface between science and policy as a contribution to the work of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Soda Tax Revenue Investments
Bay Area Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes: An Evaluation of Community Investments
MAY 2019
Sydney Bennet, Nick Draper, Irene Farnsworth, and Fiona McBride
A Goldman School of Public Policy Independent Policy Analysis team worked with the Praxis Project and the Berkeley Food Institute in spring 2019 to investigate the actual implementation of sugary drink tax revenues in those four Bay Area cities. Their report looked at these aspects of the tax allocations: 1) administrative structure; 2) grantmaking; 3) evaluation; and 4) political and policy considerations for future soda tax initiatives. While these taxes are still relatively new, the team found that Albany, Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco have, to varying degrees, made equity a focus as well as taking steps to ensure robust and sustainable political support for sugary drink taxes. All four cities enacted their taxes via ballot initiative and three of them created citizen commissions to guide city leadership on spending of funds raised from sugary drink taxes, giving the community consistent opportunity to be involved in the policy enactment and implementation process. The Bay Area cities have also been able to show a direct link between their sugary drink taxes and valuable community programs. Read the full report here.
