Chapter 11: The Agricultural Core

Few other cities in America or, for that matter, the world are as blessed as San Francisco when it comes to its potential to draw sustenance from local sources of food. The surrounding area – see the map in the center of this report – is a vast cornucopia distinguished by its mild, Mediterranean climate, fertile soils, well-developed (though problematic) sources of water and a sophisticated, entrepreneurial group of farmers and ranchers. Twenty million tons of food a year are produced on the roughly ten million acres of agricultural land within 100 miles of the Golden Gate – many times more than San Francisco or the Bay Area could consume.

 

Most agricultural production by value and volume comes, not from the immediate Bay Area, but from the fertile valleys beyond the hills surrounding San Francisco and its neighboring communities. The seven Central Valley counties within the foodshed study area produce more than half of the total value of agricultural products in the region. By contrast, the eight Bay Area counties account for only 14 percent of total agricultural production in the study area. One-third of that comes from the highly valuable wine grape crops in Napa and Sonoma Counties, though Bay Area counties are also the leading producers of several other commodities.

Reference:
http://www.farmland.org/programs/states/ca/Feature%20Stories/documents/Chap_1_foodshed.pdf