Market Management
Market Management Although the City Heights Farmers’ Market was created through a partnership between many agencies and neighborhood residents, one agency has taken the lead as the Market Manager.
The San Diego Farm Bureau was established in 1913 and is dedicated to serving the needs of its more than 7,000 members by promoting the economic viability of agriculture and the appropriate management of natural resources. In 2007, Farm Bureau leadership began to pursue the management of farmers’ markets in the County as a key strategy for encouraging the development of local, direct markets. In June 2008, the Farm Bureau helped launch the City Heights Market and in September 2008 they began their second venture with the Valley Center Farmers’ Market. For more on the San Diego County Farm Bureau visit www.sdfarmbureau.org.
Additionally, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) San Diego Resettlement Office took a lead in developing and managing the community programming aspects of the market. Founded in 1933 at the suggestion of Albert Einstein, the IRC is the oldest and largest private nonsectarian voluntary agency dedicated to assisting refugees and victims of oppression and violent conflict. IRC provides life saving services in 22 countries worldwide and 24 U.S. cities. The San Diego office opened in 1975 in response to the influx of Vietnamese refugees into the area. Since then, the office has resettled over 20,000 individuals and established a comprehensive array of ancillary programs and services to augment the resettlement process. IRC San Diego assists clients in a variety of activities from renting a home and finding a job to financial literacy and microenterprise assistance. (See attachment A for agency experience and operating budget).
In 2005, IRC San Diego launched a Food Security and Community Health Program—the first of its kind for IRC—to directly address the health and nutrition disparities often experienced by refugees. In addition to operating a school garden program, emergency food pantry, fledgling urban farm project, and nutrition education program, IRC has initiated a variety of community-based advocacy initiatives aimed at increasing access to land for food production and improving access to fresh fruits
and vegetables in the City Heights neighborhood.