Strategic Vision

Strategic Vision 2040 will guide UC ANR's work, structure and resource allocation to optimize and align its research, programs and partnerships over the next 15 years. The document is the result of a 15-month process, during which the Strategic Visioning Committee synthesized thousands of comments and feedback from hundreds of UC ANR employees and community members, including agency staff, elected officials, nonprofit groups, California Tribes, industry partners, farmers and producers.

The Strategic Vision 2040 represents a reaffirmation of UC ANR's commitment to serve as a catalyst for positive change – cultivating, co-creating and sharing science-based solutions on a wide range of issues.

The visioning process produced a refreshed vision and mission for UC ANR:

Our Vision: UC ANR will be valued in every California community for meaningful engagement and making a positive impact in people's lives.

Our Mission: UC ANR cultivates thriving communities, sustainable agriculture, resilient ecosystems, and economic prosperity in California through development and sharing of equitable and collaborative science-based solutions that have national and global impact.

In addition, the extensive community input helped the committee identify seven distinct California challenges as priority areas in which UC ANR can make a significant impact.

On top of our core areas of Agriculture and Food Systems, Natural Ecosystems and Working Landscapes, and Thriving People and Communities, the Strategic Vision 2040 document lists four issues that overarch all our research and extension work: Climate Change; Innovation; Regulations, Policy and Compliance; and Systemic Inequities.

The Strategic Vision 2040 document is not intended to be a full strategic plan. In the next phase, a new committee kicked off a series of meetings in 2025 to develop UC ANR's 2025-2030 Strategic Framework with specific goals, objectives, metrics and deliverables designed to operationalize the vision.