- Author: Sophie Loeb
Rob Bennaton, County Director of Alameda and Contra Costa and Bay Area Urban Agriculture Advisor, is someone you can find volunteering at a soup kitchen on a Sunday morning. Bennaton is action-oriented, compassionate, community-driven, and plugs his knowledge into local partnerships beyond the outline of a 9-5 workday.
Though initially intent on majoring in English at Fordham University, Rob enjoyed working in nature's great outdoors so much that he decided to pursue a degree in Biological Sciences, and ultimately, a career in landscape horticulture, environmental education, habitat restoration and community horticulture. His service work history, too, reflects a passion for understanding how plant science and world poverty are linked; whether working on Habitat for Humanity type service projects, serving as a hospice-for the-terminally-ill volunteer in Jamaica, or volunteering in orphanages in Mexico, Bennaton has always reflected: “How can my interests and knowledge in ecological horticulture, and plant science help people?”
With a background that spans from positions as natural areas Forester with the NYC Parks Dept. to Coordinator of the NYC Housing Authority Garden & Greening Program, Bennaton arrived at the UCCE position with tremendous experience in community-based environmental education programming. Rob's first exposure with the Cooperative Extension was in New York City; after receiving his Master's in Urban Planning, he decided to pursue applied research and educational programming in urban agriculture on the West Coast when offered the position with UCCE.
“I wanted to move into more warm season small scale urban agriculture that was impactful, and, when offered this position, dove right in” commented Bennaton, whose main research incorporates soil quality, heavy metals, and applying high phosphate composts in gardens to manage heavy metals issues. Rob works with culturally diverse groups such as immigrants living in older homes to educate and develop protocol around heavy metal risk management in soils. He recently held a workshop with La Mesa Verde, a group of mainly women (most of them mothers), to disseminate information about improving soil quality. “There was a great response and understanding that made me feel as though the outcomes were not only positive, but helping people grow food in a safe way using best management practices,” reflected Bennaton.
As a two-county director, Bennaton must balance the needs of each distinct locality; Antioch, for example, is drastically more rural than downtown Oakland. In urban areas, Bennaton has focused his work on preserving open space to grow food via land-use-mapping. This mapping project is a team effort in partnership with the Ashland/Cherryland Food Policy Council and the Oakland Food Policy Council's Urban Ag Committee, and helps determine feasibility of state-passed urban ag legislation for being passed locally, namely, Assembly Bill 551, otherwise known as “Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones Act.”
According to Bennaton, urban agriculture is the intersection between all five of the UC ANR Strategic Initiatives-endemic and invasive pest species, healthy families and communities, sustainable food systems, sustainable natural ecosystems, water quality/quantity/security.
“As we urbanize, we will continue to impact environmental quality, families, and communities. Urban agriculture is part of the solution-a place where folks can get greater access to nutritious foods, and become more physically active, reduce their carbon footprints, create spaces that are more environmentally sound,” noted Bennaton, who continued, “growing and eating food brings people together and can be the bridge between inequity/imbalance, and healthier communities.” In all of his work, Rob seeks to bridge humans with their environments. Despite his rigorous schedule, Bennaton takes the time to connect with nature.
“We live busy lives and have a tendency to be so busy in our work related stuff that we tend to disconnect from each other and our very own selves. Touching the soil can reawaken that notion that we are all human beings and that though we have different cultures or ethnicities, we have far more in common than we do differences,” concluded Bennaton.