Initiative 01 — Our Initiatives

Territorial Markets

Collective purchasing infrastructure that connects organized consumer bases directly with coalitions of small campesin@ farmers — making agroecological production economically viable.

What Are Territorial Markets?

Territorial markets are not farmers markets. They are a form of coordinated collective purchasing — rooted in the territorial logic of food sovereignty — that creates stable, direct economic relationships between organized communities and small campesin@ producers.

Industrial agriculture dominates California's food system through monopoly control over markets, land, and inputs. This pushes small, diversified farmers toward monoculture or out of farming entirely. Territorial markets are a direct counter to this — building the economic infrastructure that allows agroecological farming to survive and scale without compromising its principles.

Our model coordinates purchasing between organized consumer bases — community groups, mutual aid networks, cooperatives — and coalitions of small farmers, ensuring stable demand and fair prices outside of corporate supply chains.

How It Works

01

Farmer Coalitions

Small campesin@ producers pool their harvests and coordinate what they can collectively supply each cycle.

02

Consumer Organization

Community groups, cooperatives, and networks commit to collective purchasing, creating reliable demand.

03

Direct Coordination

PLRCAWG facilitates the logistics, ordering, and pricing — keeping the chain short and the power with producers.

04

Distribution

Orders are fulfilled through regional pickup points, reducing costs and strengthening community ties.

Collaborations

Territorial Markets operate through sustained relationships between organized consumer groups and farmer coalitions. Each collaboration is a node in a growing network — held together by direct coordination rather than market intermediaries.

Bay Area / Northern Central Coast

Active Markets

Active

Stanford Housing Co-ops × Coalición de Pequeños Agricultores

Stanford's student housing cooperatives purchase collectively from the Coalición, creating a direct, stable buyer relationship that gives small campesin@ producers reliable demand outside of corporate supply chains. This is among the founding collaborations of the Territorial Markets model in the Bay Area.

Stanford Housing Co-ops Coalición de Pequeños Agricultores
Los Angeles

Active Markets

Active

LA Buyers' Club × Saticoy Food Hub

The LA Buyers' Club is the organized consumer base coordinating with Saticoy Food Hub — the anchor organization for the Los Angeles Territorial Market. The club is composed of the LA Tenant Union, which brings a base of organized renters and working-class households; Dawah Delivery, a faith-based distribution network; and Polo's Pantry, a mutual aid organization that contributes logistical infrastructure including cooling space, delivery fee support, and coordination capacity. Together they act as a unified, structured buyer — aggregating demand across housing organizers, community networks, and food access programs into a single coordinated purchasing relationship with campesin@ producers.

LA Buyers' Club LA Tenant Union Dawah Delivery Polo's Pantry Saticoy Food Hub
Emergent Markets
Forming

Inland Empire Buyers' Club

An emerging buyers' club organizing collective purchasing capacity in the Inland Empire — connecting communities in one of California's most underserved food regions directly with campesin@ producers.

Forming

Bay Area Buyers' Club

A new formation expanding the Bay Area market beyond the existing co-op relationships — building broader organized purchasing infrastructure across Bay Area communities.

Forming

San Diego Buyers' Club

An emerging buyers' club building collective purchasing infrastructure in San Diego — extending the Territorial Markets network into the southernmost region of California.

Forming

Berkeley Student Housing Co-ops

Berkeley student housing cooperatives are in early formation as a consumer partner — expanding the co-op purchasing model pioneered by Stanford into the broader Bay Area student housing network.

Get Involved

Sign up as a consumer member, a participating farmer, or a community organization. We'll be in touch with details for your region.