City Slicker Farms

Access to safe, affordable, healthy and culturally appropriate food is a human right.  No one should suffer from lack of food because of where they live or their community’s history of social inequalities.  At its core, City Slicker Farms is an advocate for food justice in Oakland.  Our policy and advocacy work raises awareness about and organizes people to support urban agriculture and equal access to healthy food.  We also educate Oakland policymakers and decision-makers, and collaborate with other organizations to promote policy for a just and sustainable food system.  We advocate for best practices for scalable and replicable urban agriculture through collaborative demonstration projects that include job training and opportunities for entrepreneurship.

2009-2011 Policy and Advocacy Work

City Slicker Farms has used its success to showcase the potential of urban agriculture, its many benefits, and how to achieve them in the following ways:

In 2011, City Slicker Farms Executive Director, Barbara Finnin, was selected to sit on the City of Oakland Planning Commission's Technical Advisory Group.  This group is tasked with researching best practices for urban agriculture in Oakland at the residential level. 

In 2011, City Slicker Farms Executive Director, Barbara Finnin,provided technical assistance to the City of Richmond's urban agriculture initiatives.

In 2011, City Slicker Farms partnered with Bay Localize, the Oakland Food Policy Council, and the East Bay Urban Ag Alliance to build a powerful and diverse movement for affordable, healthy local food for everyone in Oakland.  This Cross-Coalition Urban Agriculture group provides a diverse assessment of the City of Oakland's zoning and policies, as well as recommendations for a better food system in Oakland.

In 2010, we participated in drafting policy recommendations for the City of Oakland Energy & Climate Action Plan, as it related to food.

Since the inception of the Oakland Food Policy Council, City Slicker Farms has had board and staff representation on the Council.  The Council’s mission is to recommend policies to the city government that will help establish an equitable and sustainable food system in Oakland.

City Slicker Farms Executive Director, Barbara Finnin, is a steering committee member of the Kellogg Foundation funded HOPE Collaborative [Health for Oakland’s People and Environment]. HOPE’s mission is to create fundamental and sustainable environmental changes that will significantly improve the health and wellness of Oakland residents.

The new Fitzgerald and Union Plaza Parks Market Farm Project also promotes innovative policy change. Through a partnership with local government, the project is addressing food security by leveraging existing but underutilized parkland to grow fresh produce.