After participating in 4-H SNAC programs, 95% of youth participants reported they learned how to be a better leader, supporting increased health outcomes in their communities.

The Issue

Youth in low-income communities of color face health inequities. While 14.6% of all California adolescents ages 12-17 are classified as obese, rates are much higher among Latino adolescents (20.2%) and highest among adolescents in very low-income households (20.4% vs. 12.7% among the highest income households). Further, according to a recent study, youth who feel more connected at school face a 48% - 66% reduction in risk of poor health outcomes in adulthood.

Students teaching their parents what they learned at the Leadership Academy

How UC Delivers

Over the course of the 2018/19 academic year UC staff from the CalFresh Healthy Living and 4-H programs in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties worked with 5^th and 6^th grade youth in two low-income, Latino communities through weekly after school 4-H Student Nutrition Advisory Councils (SNAC). 4-H SNAC members had the opportunity to learn and practice meeting facilitation skills, in-depth training on nutrition and physical activity education, and become leaders in health and nutrition education on their school campuses. In addition to the after school club meetings, 4-H SNAC members had the opportunity to participate in two 6-hour intensive trainings including the Leadership Academy and the Culinary Academy in partnership with their school district. The Leadership Academy included training in 4-H Officer positions, presentation skills, and included a mini career pathways fair where youth learned about their own interests in relation to different careers. All of the career pathways professionals were from the community and included a dentist, engineers, a health educator, a college professor, and firefighters.

Student practices stove top skills at the Culinary Academy

The Impact

“Today I learned how to be a better presenter. I also learned about different jobs, what I want to be when I grow up, and how to be a better leader.” - 4-H SNAC Youth

A total of 32 youth attended at least one of the 6-hour academies. Of the 4-H SNAC members that participated in the Leadership Academy, almost all agreed that due to their participation they learned how to be a better leader (95%) and improved their presentation skills (95%). Qualitative data collected from the Leadership Academy show themes of improved recognition of career pathways, enhanced confidence and presentation skills, and increased confidence in being a leader. Of the 4-H SNAC members that participated in the Culinary Academy, a majority reported that they learned new culinary skills including how to chop vegetables with a knife (97%), how to prepare a healthy snack (97%), how to measure wet and dry ingredients (88%), and how to follow a recipe (91%) because of participating in the culinary academy. In addition, 79% agreed that they could teach others about cooking, and 84% considered themselves a good cook after the academy.

During the career fair, an Engineer speaks with youth about what she does for her job

Positive youth development activities are specifically recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a step that schools can take to promote connectedness among youth and thus better health outcomes in adulthood. By creating programming focused on increasing youth confidence to lead, greater awareness of career pathways, and improved ability to teach others about cooking nutritious foods, UCCE is improving individual and community health and wellness, contributing to the public value of promoting healthy people and communities.

UC Cooperative Extension Advisor Natalie Price co-chaired a food security symposium with 85 organizations focused on collective action in Los Angeles. 86% of those surveyed increased their understanding of policies affecting food insecure individuals & food assistance programs.

The Issue

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers a household to be food insecure if it experiences either: low food security – reports a reduction in the quality, variety, or desirability of diet, or very low food security – reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in southeast Los Angeles County 32.4% of households with incomes under 300% of the Federal Poverty Level are considered food insecure, approximately 79,000 individuals. Yet 1 in 3 potentially eligible individuals in Los Angeles County are not receiving CalFresh Food (formerly Food Stamps) assistance benefits. There is a need to increase participation in the CalFresh Food program, and to connect those who are not eligible to programs such as WIC, summer meals, and the charitable food network. Greater success can be achieved by collaborating across sectors to identify clients in need, coordinate their referral to appropriate services, and bring resources to trusted schools and community sites. This is especially timely as confusion over eligibility based on immigration status has precipitated distrust and declining enrollment rates across many food assistance programs.

How UC Delivers

UC ANR Cooperative Extension Advisor Natalie Price co-chaired an effort to hold a food security symposium for service providers in southeast Los Angeles County in partnership with a coalition of local government and non-profit organizations. Held in May 2019 in honor of CalFresh Awareness Month, the symposium brought together 98 individuals representing more than 85 direct service organizations (nonprofits, education, health care) serving southeast Los Angeles. The symposium aimed to define and examine the scope of food security, provide an overview of food assistance resources, increase understanding of current policies impacting food security, and create opportunities for collaboration among organizations. Price moderated a panel discussion where local program representatives spoke about program eligibility, increasing outreach, and donating food waste. Policy experts addressed immigration issues and described how to contact your local representative to advocate for anti-hunger legislation. At the end of the symposium, participants engaged in a round table discussion and call to action, where they brainstormed ways their organizations can collectively support efforts to reduce food insecurity.

Event speakers and planning committee

UCCE Advisor Natalie Price facilitating the panel discussion

The Impact

Seventy eight of the 98 symposium participants completed a pre/post evaluation to assess knowledge gain:

• 67% of respondents increased their understanding of the definition and scope of food insecurity

• 65% of respondents increased their awareness of the food resources available to help food insecure individuals/families in their area and know how to access them

• 86% of respondents increased their understanding of current state and federal policies affecting food insecure individuals and food assistance programs

Participants wrote that as a result of the symposium they made new connections, plan to educate colleagues and clients, and intend for their organizations to become CalFresh application assisters. When asked what they would apply from what they learned, respondents elaborated:

• "[I will] provide additional information that I've learned today to my patients and encourage increased enrollment/participation."
• "I am aware of new initiatives to help all those who qualify access benefits related to food security with appropriate information and regulations."
• "Information about immigration will be shared to the people of the community, for instance, information about Public Charge (federal policy negatively affecting food insecure immigrant populations)."

In addition, the Southeast Los Angeles Food Security Coalition who hosted the event tracked an increase in its membership as a result of the symposium. All evaluation results and notes from the action-oriented brainstorming session will be used to plan follow up projects and events.

Research shows that applying a collective impact model can achieve greater results than individual action alone, particularly when addressing complex social problems such as food security. By bringing together 85 different organizations, building a common agenda, and creating the infrastructure for continued communication, this event laid the groundwork for a successful model of community change. In this way, UC ANR improves food security, contributing to the public value of safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians.

Food security symposium attendees

Congresswoman Linda Sanchez welcomed participants via video from Washington D.C.

 

Attendees donated non-perishable food items to the interfaith food center pantry

UC Cooperative Extension Advisor Surendra Dara organized a conference on biologicals that drew growers from California, other states, and outside the U.S. 95.7% of those surveyed plan to use information learned on nearly 70,000 acres which they farm, manage, and influence.

The Issue

The term biologicals in agriculture refers to biocontrol agents such as parasitic wasps and predatory arthropods, microbial and botanical pesticides, biostimulants and other bio-based inputs used for pest management or improving crop health and productivity. The potential of many biologicals is not fully explored mainly because of the stigma that they do not perform well compared to some synthetic inputs. There is a need among growers, crop advisors, and pest control advisors to learn about the basic and applied aspects of biologicals, successful field examples, and associated regulatory aspects, improving the use of biologicals in crop production and protection for more sustainable food production.

Ag Innovations Conference organizer Surendra Dara speaking to attendees about the potential of biologicals

How UC Delivers

UC ANR Cooperative Extension Advisor Surendra Dara organized an Ag Innovations Conference focused exclusively on biologicals. Held in March 2019 in Santa Maria, the biologicals conference and trade show drew nearly 180 people from California, other states, and outside the United States. The conference offered a platform for the farming community, agricultural input industry, and researchers to come together, network, learn about growers' concerns, and discuss the potential of biologicals in promoting sustainable agriculture. Topics presented at the conference included regulatory updates; how to improve soil organic matter and soil microbiome; microbial and botanical biostimulants, their mode of action, and use strategies; biological and microbial studies; and alternative uses for entomopathogenic fungi. The trade show allowed vendors to showcase their products and technologies and meet with the farming community to understand their needs.

Speakers answering questions from attendees

The Impact

A large attendance and overwhelmingly positive feedback at the conference and through anonymous surveys indicated the success of this outreach effort. Out of the 138 survey responses, 97.1% indicated that the information presented at the conference was useful. Participants specified that they learned the differences and similarities of biologicals, the benefits of biologicals and their influence in farming, information on implementing biological control agents into an Integrated Pest Management program, state of the industry and discussion of trends in ag biological products, and new microbials. 95.7% of respondents plan to use information they learned on nearly 70,000 acres which they farm, manage, and influence. As shown in Dara's research, using biologicals in agricultural systems can improve soil and plant health. For example, in a 2017 field study of tomatoes, silicon, microbial, botanical, and nutrient materials improved processing tomato yields by 27 to 32% compared to the standard fertility program. Biologicals are more sustainable because they allow for the efficient use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, reducing groundwater contamination and avoiding resistance problems for pests and diseases, respectively. In this way, UC ANR enhances the ecological sustainability of agriculture, contributing to the public value of protecting California's natural resources.

Vendors at the trade show organized at the Ag Innovations Conference at the Santa Maria Veterans' Memorial Center

UC partnership with Karuk, Yurok, and Klamath Tribes in Klamath Basin improves family and community food security, community health and well-being, and tribal food sovereignty. In a Basin-wide evaluation, 65% felt the community was more food secure. 

Tribal food security team overlooking Spring Creek at headwaters of the Klamath River

The Issue

Tribes in the Klamath River Basin are among the poorest and most food insecure in the US despite great ecological diversity and a history of plentiful foods including salmon, deer, elk, acorns, mushrooms, and berries. Commercial fishing, mining, clear-cut logging, fire suppression, dams, and industrial agriculture coupled with decades of forced assimilation have disrupted traditional food systems and intergenerational sharing of cultural food information and skills. The majority of the tribal population (64%) depends on food assistance yet 80% of those still worry about their next meal. Most foods in the region are imported and provided by outside businesses and limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables as well as traditional foods has led to high rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and depression. Yet the communities are actively engaged in transforming their food system to be more healthy, culturally relevant and resilient.

How UC Delivers

Using a community-led planning process and building on relationships of trust, UCCE academics and partners from the Karuk, Yurok, and Klamath Tribes and a local community based organization secured funding from 2012-2018 for research and improvements to food security across the three tribes' ancestral territories in California and Oregon. With funding from the United States Department of Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (USDA-AFRI) Food Security program, tribal and community-led food security workshops focused food sovereignty efforts seeking to strengthen subsistence skills including canning, baking, butchering, drip irrigation, fruit tree pruning, and seed saving. A focus on restoring cultural foodways included seasonal youth camps, connecting elders with youth, and inter-tribal youth exchange. Two new community gardens and six greenhouses were established and more than eight orchards were revitalized. Six tribal Master Gardeners were trained and several agricultural bulletins were created to offer residents regionally-relevant information to support access to fresh produce through an extended growing season. A new K-12 Native Foods Curriculum supports cultural learning and STEM skills in six local schools. Three dissertations share findings on key food plants and traditional land management, a digital library houses tribal cultural food information, and two tribal herbaria supports classroom education and future indigenous plant research. Over the course of six years nearly 17,500 participants -- with many of them repeat participants -- benefited from over 3,000 workshops, events, community discussions, meetings, and other activities.

“The community gardens, better maintained trees and food preservation all work together to create a culture where it is cool to eat local food. It is a source of pride at potlucks. Gardening and fresh fruit is available, and children understand where their food is coming from. I feel like there is less division and we are more unified. The relationships that have been created from the program are good.”

-Tribal food security participant

Ben Saxon field dressing deer, Karuk Tribe.

Native youth garden box installation

The Impact

After six years, Klamath Basin residents have new skills, resources, and networks to improve family and community food security, community health and well-being, and tribal food sovereignty. In a Basin-wide evaluation, 77% of respondents said they had learned something new from Food Security activities; 67% had tried out new skills at home; 65% felt the community was more food secure; and 81% said the programs have changed the community in other positive ways. The Karuk Tribe's new Pikyav Field Institute continues food security programming and improves college readiness for Native youth. The Klamath Tribes' new community kitchen will support ongoing food security activities. Partners have leveraged project successes, securing over $4.6M for expanded project work related to developing an inclusive and equitable society by building climate resilient Native American communities and agro-ecosystems, improving Native American food security through increased community access to native foods, and increasing ecological sustainability of forested landscapes that provide cultural foods and fibers. In this way, UC ANR partners with the community to improve food security, contributing to the public value of safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians. 

For more information on the project activities and outcomes, please visit the Karuk-UC Berkeley Collaborative website.