1. Approve agreement with the Davis Farmers Market Alliance Inc. for the 'Yolo County Farm to School' program using American Rescue Plan funds in the amount of $35,000 for the period of January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2024, to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of existing Farm to School programming in Yolo County schools to then determine the needs and opportunities to expand Farm to School programming to all Yolo County Schools; and 
    
2. Delegate authority to the Manager of Procurement to sign the agreement.

American Rescue Plan Background

On September 28, 2021, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the initial American Rescue Plan (ARP) Expenditure Plan, which included $3,000,000 for projects under the Food Security priority category. At the October 25, 2022, Board meeting, Staff presented funding recommendations to allocate the remaining $1.3 million in the Food Security category. Board expressed support for funding the Davis Farmers Market Alliance Inc. Staff has worked with Davis Farmers Market Alliance Inc. to develop the final contract, which is recommended for approval with this staff report. Additional information on the scope of the contract with the Davis Farmers Market Alliance Inc. and performance measures are described below:

Davis Farmers Market Alliance Inc.- Growing Yolo County Farm-to-School Program

Funding this contract with the Davis Farmers Market Alliance Inc. will allow their 'Yolo County Farm to School' program to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of existing Farm to School programming in Yolo County schools in order to determine needs and opportunities to expand the Farm to School programming to all Yolo County Schools. Through the assessment of current farm-to-school programs, Davis Farmers Market Alliance Inc. will learn about school food service policies and procedures, school food service meal planning processes, the pathways and relationships between local farmers and school food service professionals, the implementation of food education and how local interest groups and stakeholders support the farm to school programming in their community. Once the data is compiled, the assessment of needs will guide Davis Farmers Market Alliance Inc.' Yolo County Farm to School' program in establishing priorities and crafting a strategic plan for public outreach about the mission and the coalition building with partners, school districts, and local farmers—all aimed at enabling the Davis Farmers Market Alliance Inc. to create resources and networks and to share best practices to expand farm to school programming throughout Yolo County.

The performance measures and outcomes associated with this project include identifying the number of schools that already have a farm-to-school program, identifying the number of schools that do not have a program, and identifying the number of students who are missing out on a farm-to-school program, and identifying the number of schools that have experiential activities for students such as gardens, culinary arts, farm field trips, and more. More information about this contract, including a statement of work, budget, and performance measures, may be found in Attachment A.

No competitive bid is required. The countywide ARP funds were allocated as part of the Board's FY2021-22 budget hearing on September 28, 2021. The Board provided direction on the remaining ARP fund allocation at the May 24, 2022, Board meeting.