- Author: Brenda Dawson
An article in The (Stockton) Record by reporter Alex Breitler took a closer look at an economic analysis of building a peripheral canal to divert water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The analysis, written by David Sunding, UC Cooperative Extension economist at Berkeley, found that more than 129,000 jobs would be created in order to build a peripheral canal or tunnel. Sunding presented the report at a public meeting where he gave this caveat, quoted in the article: "[The Bay Delta Conservation Plan] is an extremely complex activity with all kinds of economic...
- Author: Brenda Dawson
Forest restoration would be one way to improve our economy, writes researcher Tong Wu of the Center for Forestry and UC Berkeley on CNN's Global Public Square news website. He states that human interference has "made many ecosystems unnaturally susceptible to catastrophic wildfires" and that global warming will exacerbate the problem.
"In economic analyses of environmental management projects across the western United States, ecological restoration produced multiplier effects (the economic 'bang for the buck' of every dollar spent) that...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The most recent estimates of job losses due to cuts in water allocations from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are far lower than was first predicted, according to an article published last week in the Contra Costa Times.
In early 2009, UC Davis economist Richard Howitt predicted the drought and new restrictions on Delta pumping would cost 95,000 jobs, but he revised the figure downward a number of times. Even though, the old number is still sometimes used, recently by Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina,...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
UC ANR specialist Dave Campbell, the director of the UC California Communities Program, will take part in the USDA's video forum about rural unemployment tomorrow, which will be broadcast at 19 USDA sites around California, according to the Central Valley Business Times. Curiously, the Times publicized the video forum, but it is not open to the public.
Input from a series of nearly 40 local jobs forums (that were open to the public) held across California this week will be summarized for a final report at the video conference. The local jobs forums, listed here, end today.
"By...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Associated Press this morning reported that enrollment in agriculture schools across the nation is growing, even though the number of farms tumbles.
Reporter David Mercer provided statistics from a survey of ag schools by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Enrollment in bachelor's degree programs in agriculture, the survey said, increased 21.8 percent from 2005 to 2008, from about 58,300 students to nearly 71,000.
The story gave specific information about the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, noting that in 2009 more than 5,490 students are enrolled...