From production to distribution to retail, the Oakland-based nonprofit Mandela MarketPlace (MMP) cultivates a model approach for advancing equitable food-oriented development with an ecosystem of businesses, entrepreneurs, and initiatives firmly rooted in the principles of community-driven solutions and economic self-determination.

Now, with proof of concept after more than 10 years of experience, MMP’s model offers a path forward for other communities impacted by historical and systematic disinvestment—one that is equity driven, can withstand neighborhood change, and prioritizes investment in the people and places that are most often left behind.

The second of a three-part series by PolicyLink and Mandela MarketPlace, Cultivating Equitable Food-Oriented Development: Lessons from West Oakland, explores the growth and inner workings of the Mandela ecosystem, a tightly woven network of business and partners that are building a community-owned food system in the San Francisco Bay Area.