Kraus has been involved in sustainable agriculture issues and has promoted urban-rural linkages for 20 years. From 1992 until recently, she was the founding executive director of the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA). CUESA's long-term goal has been to develop a permanent public market and education center on the San Francisco waterfront dedicated to sustainable agriculture. As the director of CUESA, Kraus established the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, which has become the Saturday morning town square for Bay Area food lovers and a highly successful market for participating farmers. In 1983, while working as a cook at Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, Kraus initiated and directed the Farm Restaurant Project to establish a link between Bay Area restaurants and local farmers who produce high-quality fresh produce. The Farm Restaurant Project culminated in the Tasting of Summer Produce, a gathering of farmers, chefs and other food and agricultural professionals. The tasting became an annual event that is nationally acclaimed for promoting an urban-rural link. From 1983 to 1990, Kraus worked as the developer and operations manager of a successful organic and specialty produce department for Greenleaf Produce Company, a San Francisco produce wholesaler.