Posts Tagged: sustainable agriculture

SAREP program review provides recommendations for new strategy

Recently, the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program completed a UC ANR five-year statewide program review in 2019. Vice President Humiston and I extend a thank you to the ad-hoc committee for their time commitment and thoroughness in examining the program and providing recommendations to UC ANR's Program Council. We greatly appreciate the time the UC SAREP program staff spent providing detailed information on all aspects of the program. Feedback submitted by UC SAREP partners and stakeholders during the review process is also appreciated.

We recognize the program has made significant accomplishments towards food systems goals that have led to greater health and well-being for Californians. The program has contributed to public values and condition changes such as: 

• promoting economic prosperity by developing new markets for farmers through the Farm to School program, agritourism and new specialty crops;
• improving food security by supporting urban gardening, food hubs networks and food policy councils; 
• developing an inclusive and equitable society, by helping to increase diversity, inclusiveness and cultural competency in California's workplaces by working with small-scale and immigrant farmers and providing trainings for extension professionals on uprooting racism; and
• protecting California's natural resources by assessing environmental risks, leading to policies for ensuring safe drinking-water standards for nitrates and mitigation targets for greenhouse gas reduction in crops.

The UC ANR five-year program review was coordinated with the timing of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences review of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute. UC SAREP has been operating as a unit housed in ASI since a memorandum of understanding between UC Davis and UC ANR went into effect in 2007.

Recently announced changes to the MOU with UC Davis and the leadership of SAREP were not an outcome of the program review. However, in response to recommendations from Program Council and the ad hoc review committee, and as a result of the recent organizational change, SAREP will begin to develop a new strategic plan that addresses the program's original legislative mandate to support long-term research toward food systems and agriculture production. The strategic planning committee will be asked to consider the following recommendations as it develops the plan:

• Explore how to better meet the needs around agriculture production.
• Determine how to best engage colleagues around the state who are working in sustainable agriculture.
• Support existing work being done by UCCE by being a facilitator, translating research to useful products for clientele, and collaborating with academics on final extension products.
• Consider including rangelands as part of agricultural production and food systems.
• Clearly define sustainability for the program's mission and vision.
• Be a conduit between UC students and UCCE and the research and extension centers by providing job training and internships.
• Consider an affiliate program such as the UC IPM model, identifying advisors to be affiliates for five years.
• Consider a role as a hub/curator of sustainable agriculture information from across the UC ANR network. Increase collaboration in development of, production or distribution of how-to materials for practitioners.
• Consider developing a precise strategy to engage with UC ANR Program Teams and other UC ANR Statewide Programs and Institutes. Work with these groups to develop user-friendly, sustainable agriculture practitioner documents.
• Increase representation of UC ANR academics on SAREP's Academic Advisory Committee.
• Develop a communications strategy for disseminating and archiving information, with input from the UC ANR network. 
• Identify additional opportunities for partnerships across UC and beyond.
• Develop a fundraising plan working with UC ANR Development Services.

I look forward to working with UC SAREP as it pursues these and other opportunities that may arise. Best wishes for the ongoing success and growth of UC SAREP!

Sincerely,

Wendy Powers
Associate Vice President

 

UC ANR expanding role and reach of SAREP

I am pleased to announce that UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) will be welcoming the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) back to being administered by UC ANR effective July 1, 2020. This change in management will enable closer collaboration between SAREP and the other statewide programs and institutes administered by UC ANR while also expanding our current affiliation with the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) to other campuses and partners.

Since 1986, SAREP has supported scientific research and education to advance agricultural and food systems that are economically viable, sustain beneficial ecosystem services, and enhance the quality of life in local communities. Moving forward, our farms and food systems face an ever-larger set of challenges: shifting consumer demands,invasive pests, climate change, additional regulations, lack of access to labor, and more. The need for new technologies, better systems and effective problem-solving is greater than ever.

UC ANR envisions positioning SAREP to serve as a much broader umbrella of sustainability, addressing all aspects of the triple-bottom-line: People, Planet and Prosperity. To accomplish this, SAREP will provide leadership and/or support to several promising initiatives and will facilitate our ability to capture synergies among them. Those include agritourism, ecosystem services, Climate Smart Agriculture, regional food systems, community and economic development and more.

Our sincere thanks go to UC Davis CAES and Dr. Tom Tomich, who has served as Director for SAREP for the past several years, for their leadership and support of the program since 2007. 

As part of the transition, the SAREP team will relocate to the UC ANR building at 2801 Second Street in Davis, California. The move is planned to be completed by July 1, although timing may be impacted by ongoing shelter-in-place orders.

I am also pleased to announce that Dr. Gail Feenstra, who has been serving as acting director since October 2019, has been appointed director of SAREP effective July 1, 2020. Please join me in welcoming SAREP into our UC ANR building and offering Gail and her team best wishes for the future success of the program.

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

Program Teams and workgroups to meet at Sustainable Food Systems conference

Some Program Teams and workgroups will be meeting at the Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative Conference, which will be held Oct. 11 to 13 at Freeborn Hall, UC Davis.

Program Teams are umbrella structures under which workgroups now operate. The objective of this structure is to provide a more efficient and effective means for workgroups to meet and carry out their essential functions, and enhance inter-workgroup communication and collaboration.

The Program Teams that will be meeting include California Communities; Agricultural Production Management Systems; Agronomic Crops; Meat Production and Food Safety; Pomology; and Vegetable Crops. Their affiliated workgroups are listed on the website, but they may or may not plan to meet at this conference.

For a list of workgroups that will be meeting at the Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative Conference, visit http://ucanr.org/sites/SFS/Program_Teams_and_Workgroup_Meetings. If you plan on attending these Program Team and workgroup meetings, please register for the conference at http://ucanr.org/sites/SFS/Registration_47/.

Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is scheduled to speak on the evening of Oct. 11. More than 40 posters have been submitted for the poster session that precedes Ross’ address.

The conference theme is "Strengthening Our Connections: People, Issues and Policy." ANR members from throughout the state will participate in panel discussions on a variety of topics that were suggested in a survey of ANR employees. Discussion topics include the role of California in the global food system, water, local and regional food systems, public policy, climate change, food safety, hot issues in agricultural production and using social media for outreach.

The conference planning committee has created a resource list that links to key documents and articles that may inform your thinking as you prepare for the conference. Aspects of the “UC ANR Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative Plan” and the “UC ANR Strategic Vision” will be discussed during the conference. The Public Policy Institute of California report “Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation” complements the plenary panel of the same name.

For SFS conference agenda details, visit http://ucanr.org/sites/SFS. To register, go to http://ucanr.org/sites/SFS/Registration_47.

View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

New sustainable ag major is a return to UCD’s roots

A new bachelor’s degree program at UC Davis is meant to gives students an understanding of the social, economic and environmental aspects of farming and food systems, reported Cory Golden in the Davis Enterprise. Some of the lessons taught in the program will harken back to the interdisciplinary courses that have been taught at UCD’s Student Farm for more than three decades.

Effective pest control for indoor citrus nursery production
Cary Blake, Western Farm Press

California and Arizona citrus nursery growers are shifting production of critical plants from the outdoors to ‘indoor protective structures’ to gain protection from the Asian citrus psyllid insect and its primary vectored disease Huanglongbing. The change will require growers to adjust to new pest control techniques. “You’ll likely find extra pests indoors that you haven’t dealt with outside including mites and thrips,” said Jim Bethke, UC Cooperative Extension floriculture farm advisor in San Diego County. “It’s very hard to exclude mites with screening material. The screen can exclude the Asian citrus psyllid, but will not keep out thrips.”

Mark Van Horn, director of the Student Farm, gives a UC Davis class a tour of the farm's market garden.

Reminder: Register for Strategic Initiative conferences

People who plan on attending the Sustainable Natural Ecosystems Strategic Initiative Conference and the Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative Conference should register and reserve lodging soon. Lodging discounts will expire at the end of August.

For the Sustainable Natural Ecosystems Strategic Initiative Conference, register at http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=6952. “Managing, Valuing and Monitoring Ecosystem Services from Working Landscapes” will be held Sept. 20-22 at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento.

Future directions of the Sustainable Natural Ecosystem Strategic Initiative -- including development of funding, hiring and programmatic priorities -- will be influenced by conference participants.

For more information about the SNE conference or to read the initiative’s working draft plan, visit http://ucanr.org/sites/SNE/Conference_Background. Discounted lodging rates at the Radisson expire Aug. 29.

For the Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative Conference, register at http://ucanr.org/sites/SFS/Registration_47. “Strengthening Our Connections: People, Issues and Policy,” will be held Oct. 11-13 at Freeborn Hall at UC Davis.

Karen Ross, secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture, has been confirmed as a keynote speaker.

ANR members from throughout the state will participate in panel discussions on a variety of topics, including the role of California in the global food system, water, local and regional food systems, public policy, climate change, food safety, controversial issues and using social media for outreach. For SFS conference agenda details or to read the initiative’s working draft plan, visit http://ucanr.org/sites/SFS.

To obtain the best rates, be sure to reserve lodging at the Hallmark Inn by Aug. 31.

Time will be reserved at both conferences for affiliated Program Teams and workgroups to meet.

 

View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

Read more