EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report was prepared by a team of students at UC Davis for the Yolo Ag and Food Alliance (AFA). The objective was to examine the plausibility of creating a food hub in Yolo and Solano Counties. To achieve this, the UC Davis research team explored recent trends in food hubs across the country and conducted a food system assessment of the two counties. The food system assessment tracks historical trends and data in Yolo and Solano Counties for five sectors of the food system: production, processing, distribution, retail, and consumption. By analyzing these sectors, the report provides a context to better understand the viability of a possible food hub in the region and includes exercises and recommendations to help guide the AFA through a planning process. We designed this report to help the AFA understand the context of the local food system, create a common vision for a food hub, compile background information for future funding applications, and facilitate partnerships for the next stage in the design process for a food hub. RESULTS The UC Davis research team found a wide range of existing food hub models, from centralized aggregation facilities to virtual models with no physical infrastructure. In each of these cases, the local food system context determined the ultimate success of the food hub. Likewise, in Yolo and Solano Counties, the success of a food hub will depend on an understanding of the AFA‘s vision and goals, the characteristics of the regional food system, the size and reach appropriate for the hub‘s context, and relationships between key stakeholders. A food hub‘s success will also be determined by a thorough understanding of current and past attempts to create aggregation and distribution infrastructure in the region. The AFA should consider several key characteristics of the regional food system in designing a food hub. Most producers in the region are large-scale commodity grower