- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The UC Center for Climate, Health and Equity is announcing an open call for research proposals that address a range of priorities at the intersection of climate change and human health.
The center seeks to harness the expertise and leadership of the health sector to drive ambitious climate action that safeguards health and promotes health equity. The Center leads research, education, and policy activities to generate and scale climate-health solutions. This includes preparing health professionals to provide climate-responsive care; expanding the evidence base on the intersection of climate, health, and equity; building sustainable health systems; working with communities to design, implement, and evaluate new approaches to climate adaptation and mitigation that promote health equity; and supporting strong climate and health policies.
The Climate and Health Seed Grant Program was created to support interdisciplinary research projects across the UC system that advance our understanding of the human health impacts of climate change and the climate solutions that advance health equity. Priority will be given to proposals that focus on climate and health equity.
Selected proposals will receive one-time, non-renewable funding of up to $10,000 for faculty and fellows, and up to $5,000 for students, during the period March 2022 – March 2023.
Timeline:
- Letter of intent due by Jan. 15, 2022
- Full proposals invited by Jan. 31, 2022
- Full proposal submission by Feb. 28, 2022
- Funded proposals announced by March 15, 2022
- Project period March 31, 2022 – March 30, 2023
- Final report due March 30, 2023
For more information on application and submission requirements, please read the full request for applications here.
Ross wrote about the experience in her Planting Seeds blog while Humiston, Parker and other participants posted Twitter updates from their climate smart agriculture tour with the hashtag #CSAmission.
During the visit, Ross and the Netherlands Minister of Agriculture Martijin van Dam signed a Letter of Intent to cooperate on shared agricultural issues.
“The agreement between California and the Netherlands can speed up solutions for the agricultural industry to adapt to climate change,” Humiston said. “With Dutch collaboration on climate-smart research, we'll be able to develop new technology and improve agricultural productivity faster.”
“The innovations in water use, green house technology and saline agriculture are practical on-farm solutions that can assist California's farmers,” Ross wrote in the blog.
At Wageningen University's research farm, the group met Salt Farm Texel growers who are using saline water to produce food crops such as potatoes and tomatoes. “California has both saline groundwater and saline soils in some areas,” Parker said. “In those areas, our growers may be able to use some of their techniques.”
Noting that the Netherlands has similar water quality concerns to California's, Parker said, “The people we met in the Netherlands are interested in learning from our efforts to find ways to help our agricultural sector produce healthy, environmental sound and sustainable products.”
“With our partners at the University of California, we have the opportunity to expand collaboration with Wageningen UR to develop joint research projects on climate smart agriculture – bringing the lessons and practices learned in the Netherlands, home to California,” Ross wrote. “When I see the reuse of water for food production, taste horticultural products grown with salt water and observe the production gains that greenhouse management systems can bring to our berry industry – these are connections that our growers would be eager to learn more about.”
Humiston said, “We will be following up with our new friends in the Netherlands to look at ways our researchers can exchange ideas and information with their Dutch counterparts.”
The Netherlands is just one of the countries facing challenges similar to those in California where UC ANR hopes to increase collaboration. On Jan. 12 and 13, UC ANR's California Institute for Water Resources will be co-sponsoring “Proven Solutions to Drought Stress: Water Management Strategies for Perennial Crops with Limited and Impaired Water Supplies,” a workshop in Modesto for scientists from Israel and Australia to discuss drought management with California scientists.