Gomes, W.R. : Vice President Agriculture and Natural Resources

W.R . GOMES Vice President Agriculture and Natural Resources A recent survey of county offices and DANR special pro - n January 1994 , an earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter grams identified 35 counties and 7 statewide programs which scale rocked Northridge . Within 48 hours , UC Cooperative support outreach to non - English speaking growers and Extensionhad disseminated a series of Spanish - language di - farmworkers in California . For instance : saster aid radio spots , providing public safety information to Latinodisastervictims , and their friends and families , statewide . UCâ??s IPM Project has conducted more than 120work - 1994 - nearly 50 in Spanish - to certify the stateâ??s shops since This vital communications program , with a potential audi - pesticide handling and pesticide safety instructors . These ence of 8.6 million , is one example of how profoundly Division 2,000 - plus UC certified instructors have trained over 750,000 programs have changed since UC was founded 128 years ago . farmworkers and pesticide handlers , most of whom are Span - In 1868 , California was an agrarian society of about 500,000 ish - speaking ; people . One in every five was a farmer . The far - reaching UCâ??s Small Farm Program has six bilingual farm advisors Morrill Act of 1862 had begun to foster a powerful partner - working with Latino and Southeast Asian growers , as well as ship between land - grant universities and farmers ; it would English - speakingclientele ; lead to quantum gains in agricultural productivity . Agriculture is still this stateâ??s leading economicgenerator The Agricultural Personnel Management Program has made extensiveuse of Spanish when providing information - a $ 22 billion enterprise in 1995 , contributing $ 70 billion to through workshops , officevisits and handout materials . the stateâ??s economy . But today , less than 2 % of Californians DANR CommunicationServicesprovides UC publications , are directly involved in farming . More than 90 % of the stateâ??s videos and slidesetstranslatedinto Spanishand severalother residents are urban dwellers . The Divisionâ??sprograms in hu - languages , includingHmong , Laotian , Cambodianand Punjabi . man , natural and agricultural resources must operate in a radi - The bilingual Illustrated Guide to Pesticide SafetylGuia cally changed environment , addressing the complex problems of 32 million Californians . el Us0 Seguro de Pesticidas , produced by DANR Ilustrada para More and more , the Divisionâ??swork is shaped by popula - and used by pesticide training instructors across California , tion growth . Californiaâ??spopulation will double to has sold more than 63 million 100,000 copies . Even though Division research and programs have made by 2040 . This growth will blur urban - rural distinctions and historic contributions to the state and its development , govern - bring increasing convergence to the interests of all Califor - ment funding for UC has waned . In the past 5 years , major nians . While we are different , we have the same interests , budget reductions , combinedwith personnelcuts on campuses whether in ensuring safe food production , preserving the and in counties , have had a profound impact on the Division . natural environment and resources , or contributing to strong Despite these setbacks , Division personnel are employing homes , families and youth . numerous strategies to meet their land - grant commitments . In the early days , the Divisionâ??s 4 - H programs taught farm These include expanding UC - sponsored â?? training - the - train - youth responsibility , leadership and good citizenship . Today ers â?쳌 programs to increase the number of qualified people pro - 4 - H has expanded to serve urban as well as rural areas . Los viding educational outreach 4 - H After School Activity Program , for in - - such as Master Gardeners or Angeles Countyâ??s stance , reaches youth in low - incomehousing projects , serving Master Food Preservers . In the future , we will continue to look for support from our 12,200 children at 24 sites . industry partners , and we will strive to increase our share of Natural resource conservation cannot be separated from ag - funding through competitive grants . It will not be an easy riculture , and Division faculty are playing an increasing role in time , but a time of change . the resolution of environmental concerns . For instance , UC sci - The Division today is very different from the Division at its entists recently oversaw a detailed scientific assessment of the birth fragile Sierra Nevada Mountain Range ecosystem under a $ 7 128 years ago , but it still plays a critical role in meeting As we the needs of agriculture and the citizens of the state . million grant from the U.S . Forest Service.Critical findings have diversified research and extension programs , the results and strategies to manage the effects of population growth are have been chronicled in the pages of California Agriculture . now in use by affected communities . With this issue , the magazine marks a half century of public Traditional agricultural research and extension have also service in extending important research . To commemorate the changed in light of Californiaâ??schanging demographics . magazineâ??s50th anniversary , we offer a special historical sec - Latinos today comprise 91 % of the agricultural work force in tion beginning on page su - 20 . We invite you to read these pages California , and are increasingly assuming positions as farm and see for yourself how the Division has kept pace with the pervisors , managers and owners . Other new clientele include changingneeds of its diverseand increasinglyurbanized people . farmers who have immigrated from Southeast Asia and India . 2 CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE , VOLUME 50 , NUMBER 6