By the end of July 2009, California was well into its third dry year in a row. On average, the state’s reservoirs were running low. In particular, the San Luis reservoir had reached only 18 percent of its capacity by July 28, said the Drought Operations Center for the State of California. The San Luis Reservoir stores water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Delta to be distributed through the southern Central Valley. As water levels at the reservoir and elsewhere dropped, many water districts faced restrictions. The impact of those water restrictions on farms in the Westlands and Tulare Lake Districts is illustrated in this vegetation anomaly image. Continues here.

“(Washington, D.C.) The National Restaurant Association’s annual survey of more than 1,800 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) – reveals that local sourcing of ingredients, sustainability and nutrition will be the hottest trends on restaurant menus in 2010. Locally grown produce, locally sourced meats and seafood, sustainability, mini-desserts and locally produced wine and beer top the list of nearly 215 culinary items in the “What’s Hot in 2010” survey. Rounding out the top 10 trends are nutritious kids’ meals, half-portions, farm-branded ingredients, gluten-free/food-allergy conscious meals and sustainable seafood.” More here.

We are excited to enter the new decade; one we expect to be pivotal in our transition towards a more sustainable agriculture. Urban farms and organic gardens continue to pop up everywhere, and the general public's desire to know where their food comes from shows no signs of waning.

The challenge is to remind consumers that buying local, sustainably produced food is more important than ever. We need to support small, independent farmers and producers especially in a down economy.

As we continue to evaluate prospective farm sites in the Bay Area we are constantly reminded how savvy Californians are about their food. Though everyone we know has been affected by the recession, we still see heavily attended local farmer's markets, fervor over new sustainable-food-sourcing restaurants like Gather, and promising startups like Lonjevitea and Fearless Chocolate bucking the trend.

So despite being invited to launch Cityscape Farms in other cities as far away as the Cayman Islands, we remain committed to maintaining our presence in the locavore mecca that is the Bay Area.