Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program

Pavlo Ardanov, a research fellow at ASI and the co-founder and leader of Permaculture in Ukraine, an environmental NGO, is a recent recipient of the Fulbright* Scholarship. During his stay, Ardonov is collaborating with Sonja Brodt, Agricultural Sustainability Institute; Robert Hijmans, Department of Environmental Science and Policy.

California elderberries have rich benefits for farms and diets

By Jeannette Wernart, UC ANR
Originally posted Oct 1, 2019: https://ucanr.edu/News/?routeName=newsstory&postnum=31440

Native California elderberries can be found at the intersection of sustainable farming, super nutrition and economic viability. Naturally drought tolerant, flavorful and packed with nutrients, they are capturing the interest of farmers, health-conscious consumers and scientists. 

Sustainable agriculture extension is only as effective as the number of people reached and the quality of those interactions. In California, almost a third of farms and ranches are operated by persons of color, and many are recent immigrants, primarily from Latin America and Asia. Are we effectively engaging with those producers so that their communities, too, can benefit from the latest developments in environmentally sound and economically viable farming practices?  

A project funded by the Global Food Initiative and led by UC SAREP Deputy Director Gail Feenstra, Food Supply Chain Analyst Gwenaël Engelskirchen, and Graduate Student Researcher Li Schmidt is examining local food sourcing at ten UC and CSU campuses to help campuses reach sustainable sourcing goals.

Read about our work in student experiential learning, helping build market opportunities for small farmers, and long term agricultural research in the current issue of California Agriculture

In 2014, UC President Janet Nopalitano launched the UC Global Food Initiative with a goal we believe in strongly. Nopalitano describes her goal of the GFI to "harness the university's vast resources and expertise to find...innovative, scalable solutions to food-related problems in the world." 

A new network of food hubs looks past competition to help each other succeed

In today's food system, large scale food distribution has become the standard way food moves from farm to market.  The system works well to feed a lot of people, and has allowed us to eat tomatoes in December and send produce far distances while keeping it fresh. But the system is not without its sacrifices.

Steven Palomares is one of those youth. As an intern at WOW Farm in 2016, Steven grew and harvested produce, delivered it to local restaurants, and participated in a weekly business management class. 

Recent rainstorms demonstrate the importance of cover crops in maintaining soil surface conditions and preventing runoff.

Tony Rolfes, State Soil Scientist, USDA-NRCS, Davis, CA

Sonja Brodt, Academic Coordinator, UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program

California Paves the Way for Reconciling Agriculture and the Environment