Posts Tagged: sustainable food systems

Apply to become HFC or SFS Strategic Initiative leader

ANR is seeking leaders for two strategic initiatives: Healthy Families and Communities and Sustainable Food Systems. The new Healthy Families and Communities leader will start on Nov. 1, and the new Sustainable Food Systems leader will start on Jan. 1, 2024.

SI leaders work with their panels to help people connect while unifying, communicating and advocating for UC ANR's work internally and across the state. SI leaders seek information from their panel members to help inform discussions related to programmatic resources within ANR.

Panels vary in their frequency and duration of meetings (1 to 2 hours per month on average). The SI leaders meet monthly (2 hours) and represent their panels on Program Council (up to 8 hours/month), which provides input for programmatic policy and direction for the organization. Program Council meets the first Tuesday and subsequent Wednesday of each month (except August).

These meetings may be via Zoom, in person at the UC ANR building in Davis or at a research and extension center. These are mandatory meetings and SI leaders receive a stipend. 

To apply for an SI leader position, visit https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=40584 and fill out the brief form. The deadline for applications is Sept. 29.

To learn more about the SI leader role, feel free to reach out to Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty forHealthy Families and Communities or Rachel Surls for Sustainable Food Systems.

[Updated 9/14/23 to revise Program Council meetings from 6 hours to up to 8 hours]

Water Strategic Initiative Conference to be held March 14-17 in Ontario

Mark your calendars for the ANR Water Strategic Initiative Conference, which will be held in collaboration with the Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Strategic Initiative, on March 14-17 in Ontario at the DoubleTree by Hilton Ontario Airport.

The conference will provide an opportunity for colleagues to learn about the projects, programs and research efforts related to water that are happening throughout the Division. Presentations and discussions will include:

• Climate Change
• Salinity: What are Remediation Steps?
• Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)
• SGMA Town Hall Discussion: The State of Your Water Resources
• Water Conservation Goals Across the State

Time is reserved for workgroups and program teams to meet on the afternoon and evening of Thursday, March 16, and Friday, March 17. To schedule a meeting, the program team leader or workgroup chair should complete the brief form and the Program Support Unit will respond to you as soon as possible.

Registration and travel fund requests will be available in early-mid January. For conference updates, check http://ucanr.edu/sites/SIconferences/2017_Water_Strategic_Initiative_Conference_.

ANR-affiliated academics including UC Cooperative Extension advisors, UC Cooperative Extension specialists, Agricultural Experiment Station faculty, program directors, academic coordinators and programmatic staff are invited to attend. Programmatic staff should obtain approval from their supervisor and statewide program director. 

Contacts for more information: 

Program: Doug Parker, Water Strategic Initiative Leader, or David Doll, Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative Leader.

Logistics: ANR Program Support Unit, Lauren McNees, (530) 750-1257, or Danielle Palermini, (530) 750-1328.

Plan to attend the first Joint Strategic Initiative Conference

The 2015 UC ANR Joint Strategic Initiative Conference will be held October 5-7 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, 1230 J Street, in Sacramento.

Who should attend: Academics affiliated with ANR – UCCE Advisors, UCCE Specialists, AES Faculty, Program Directors and Academic Coordinators.

Submit a poster abstract to participate in a poster session. To be given priority consideration, please submit poster abstracts by June 1. For details, see http://ucanr.edu/sites/2015jointsiconference/Call_for_Posters.

At the conference, you'll have the opportunity to

• Meet the new Vice President (to be invited) at the Monday evening reception.
• Participate in planning sessions for the Strategic Initiatives.
• Learn about successful research projects.
• Take advantage of free training sessions.
• Request space for your Program Team or Workgroups to meet.
• Network at the Stakeholders' Reception on Tuesday evening.

The conference is being coordinated through the five UC ANR Strategic Initiatives:

• Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases (EIPD)
• Healthy Families and Communities (HFC)
• Sustainable Food Systems (SFS)
• Sustainable Natural Ecosystems (SNE)
• Water Quality, Quantity and Security (Water)

For more information, visit http://ucanr.edu/sites/2015jointsiconference or contact conference co-chairs  Doug Parker, (510) 987-0036, and David Doll, (209) 385-7403. For logistics, contact UC ANR Program Support Unit, Sherry Cooper, (530) 750-1256, or Saundra Wais, (530) 750-1260.

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

 

New members appointed to SFS panel

New members have been appointed by VP Allen-Diaz to the advisory panel for the Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative, announced Rose Hayden-Smith, initiative leader.

Members of the Sustainable Food Systems panel are

Roberta Cook, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Davis, food safety, distribution and marketing

David Doll, UCCE advisor in Merced County, nut crops and urban forestry

Cindy Fake, UCCE advisor in Placer and Nevada counties, horticulture and small farms

Matt Fidelibus, UCCE specialist in the department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis, located at Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, wine, raisin and table grapes

Carol Frate, UCCE advisor in Tulare County, agronomy

Christy Getz, UCCE specialist in the department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley, food systems

Bob Hutmacher, UCCE specialist in the department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis and director of West Side Research and Extension Center, agronomy and cotton

Ermias Kebreab, professor in the department of Animal Science at UC Davis and Sesnon Endowed Chair, sustainable agriculture

Mark Lubell, professor in the department of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis, water policy

Neil McRoberts, professor in the department of Plant Pathology at UC Davis, plant disease epidemiology

Tom Tomich, professor in the department of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis, W. K. Kellogg Endowed Chair in Sustainable Food Systems, director of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute, director of the statewide Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, sustainable agriculture and community development

Bart Weimer, professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, director of BGI@UC Davis and faculty coordinator for the Office of Research

As part of the strategic initiative process, advisory panels work with their initiative leader to develop a plan of action for implementation of their strategic initiative. If you have suggestions for shaping the plan of action for any of the strategic initiatives, please share them with the appropriate initiative leader or with members of the advisory panel.

For more information about the initiative or to read the SFS draft strategic plan, visit http://ucanr.org/sites/SFS. The link to the plan is in the left column of the site.

View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

Program Teams and workgroups to meet at Sustainable Food Systems conference

Some Program Teams and workgroups will be meeting at the Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative Conference, which will be held Oct. 11 to 13 at Freeborn Hall, UC Davis.

Program Teams are umbrella structures under which workgroups now operate. The objective of this 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.

The Program Teams that will be meeting include California Communities; Agricultural Production Management Systems; Agronomic Crops; Meat Production and Food Safety; Pomology; and Vegetable Crops. Their affiliated workgroups are listed on the website, but they may or may not plan to meet at this conference.

For a list of workgroups that will be meeting at the Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative Conference, visit http://ucanr.org/sites/SFS/Program_Teams_and_Workgroup_Meetings. If you plan on attending these Program Team and workgroup meetings, please register for the conference at http://ucanr.org/sites/SFS/Registration_47/.

Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is scheduled to speak on the evening of Oct. 11. More than 40 posters have been submitted for the poster session that precedes Ross’ address.

The conference theme is "Strengthening Our Connections: People, Issues and Policy." ANR members from throughout the state will participate in panel discussions on a variety of topics that were suggested in a survey of ANR employees. Discussion topics include the role of California in the global food system, water, local and regional food systems, public policy, climate change, food safety, hot issues in agricultural production and using social media for outreach.

The conference planning committee has created a resource list that links to key documents and articles that may inform your thinking as you prepare for the conference. Aspects of the “UC ANR Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative Plan” and the “UC ANR Strategic Vision” will be discussed during the conference. The Public Policy Institute of California report “Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation” complements the plenary panel of the same name.

For SFS conference agenda details, visit http://ucanr.org/sites/SFS. To register, go to http://ucanr.org/sites/SFS/Registration_47.

View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

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