(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) California recognizes the importance of investing in the long-term prosperity of our food and farming system, starting with our farmers.

(2) Farmers of color have historically not had equitable access to land and other resources necessary to conduct farming in California, and that legacy of prejudice persists.

(3) Female farmers represent less than a quarter of all farmers in the state. Only 2 percent of California farmers are women of color, according to the United States Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture.

(4) Socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers tend to farm fewer acres but have a greater diversity of crops in California.

(5) According to the United States Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture, on average, socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in California receive less in federal payments than their White counterparts and also earn less.

(6) Despite the barriers, an increasing number of socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers are attempting to farm throughout California, across rural and urban settings.

(7) Existing federal agricultural policies have failed to provide sufficient and appropriate technical assistance and financial support, including farmer cooperative creation, for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

(b) It is therefore the intent of the Legislature that the secretary should support socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and include this support in the department’s vision and its relevant policies.

(Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 620, Sec. 1. (AB 1348) Effective January 1, 2018.)