- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Program Council has been working, in consultation with workgroup chairs, to develop a structure that would provide better support to workgroups and continue ANR’s commitment to grassroots planning and program implementation. The objective of this new structure is to provide a more efficient and effective means for workgroups to meet and carry out their essential functions, and enhance inter-workgroup communication and collaboration. As we worked to develop an improved structure and funding mechanism, we determined that due to budgetary constraints it is not feasible to directly fund the more than 80 independent workgroup meetings that have been supported in the past.
Recently we circulated a proposal for review by all workgroup chairs that described a new structure using broad-scope “Program Teams.” The Program Team areas will cover more extensive and integrated program topics and workgroups may align themselves under the appropriate Program Team or Teams.
Program Team meetings will provide the opportunity for individual workgroups to come together and enable continuation of existing workgroup affiliations under the Program Team umbrella. For some workgroups, this may be a significant change while other workgroups are already functioning under a similar model. It is envisioned that the Program Team meetings will designate about 25 percent of their time to large group settings with all participants considering integrated and multidisciplinary issues, with approximately 75 percent of the meeting time being reserved for individual workgroup meetings.
Meeting together in logical groupings of Program Teams will improve coordination and reduce travel costs. Participant travel will be funded directly through ANR, alleviating the need for chairs to submit and manage budgets. Facilities and other arrangements for the Program Team meetings will be facilitated by the ANR Program Support Unit, further reducing the administrative burden on chairs.
Within this Program Team structure, ANR will provide resources for individuals for travel to Program Team meetings rather than providing funding for individual workgroup meetings. For the coming year, ANR will only be able to support the Program Teams to meet in conjunction with the Strategic Initiative Conferences. When sufficient resources can be provided, it is the intent of ANR to also support a separate meeting of each Program Team in addition to those conducted with the Strategic Initiative conferences.
After receiving comments from the workgroup chairs, we have developed a system containing 18 Program Teams. Workgroups will be able to align themselves with the appropriate Program Team or Teams. The first meetings will be conducted this year in conjunction with the Strategic Initiative conferences.
In the coming weeks, we will provide the framework for Program Team responsibilities and reporting and begin to identify chairs of these Teams. It may be effective to have Program Team sub-chairs who concurrently serve as individual workgroup chairs. A subset of the chairs and sub-chairs would compose the executive committee of each Program Team.
ANR Program Teams
Youth Science Literacy in Nutrition, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Youth Development
Obesity and Prevention of Nutrition-related Diseases
Consumer Food Safety
California Communities
Pomology & Viticulture
Agronomic Crops
Vegetable Crops
Ornamental & Environmental Horticulture
Integrated Pest Management
Water Resources
Forest & Rangeland Systems
Agricultural Production Management Systems
Wildlife & Fish
Milk Production & Food Safety
Meat Production & Food Safety
Egg Production & Food Safety
Animal Production Waste Management
Sincerely,
Executive Working Group
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