Posts Tagged: 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]
The VINE announces call for startups to apply for field-trial support
Validation of Innovation Program provides supportive ecosystem for startups
The VINE, an initiative by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, is now accepting applications for its VINE Validation of Innovation Program. The program aims to support innovation in the agri-tech sector, particularly in climate-resilient solutions for California food systems.
Made possible with support from a UC Climate Action grant, the program is inviting startups to apply, with a focus on providing comprehensive support for field trials – a critical stage for any agri-tech venture.
"Field trials are vital for validating new innovations in the agri-tech sector,” said Gabe Youtsey, chief innovation officer with UC ANR and founder of The VINE. “The VINE VIP aims to provide a supportive environment for carrying out these essential tests, bridging the gap between innovative concepts and real-world application."
Elif Ceylan, co-founder of OpenGate Partners and head of the VINE VIP, also stressed the importance of field trials.
"Field trials serve as a crucial phase where promising ideas either succeed or require adjustment,” Ceylan said. “We are committed to prioritizing this stage to ensure the effectiveness and relevance of emerging agri-tech solutions."
The VINE VIP offers more than field trials. It provides a supportive ecosystem for startups, including industry connections, access to a broad network of farmers and experts, comprehensive validation results and market entry support. The program is a unique accelerator that pairs startups with project partners in the agri-tech industry, facilitating Proof of Concept projects and commercialization trials for industry-defined challenges in California agriculture.
By connecting startups with farmers, academics and industry experts, the program aims to validate, advance, adopt and amplify innovative technologies, reducing technological risks and accelerating sales through its extensive industry network.
Startups interested in joining the VINE VIP can apply until Sept. 16, 2023. Detailed information about the program and the application process is available on The VINE's website at thevine.io/vip.
The VINE is an initiative of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, dedicated to fostering agriculture, food, and biotech innovation in California. Our mission is to support industries and entrepreneurs while promoting technology innovation and commercialization for sustainable and equitable food systems. We connect entrepreneurs with public and private sector resources, encourage collaborations to address industry challenges, and promote regional capacity for global innovation as an economic opportunity.
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Peppermint season is here. Already candy canes are available in many colors and flavors. Any idea...
Webinars to explore local food systems and food waste
UC Thelma Hansen Fund to host online discussion of food systems April 26-28
Members of the public are invited to attend a free webinar series discussing local and regional food systems on April 26-28.
At the three-day webinar “Local Food: Shortening the Supply Chain and Reducing Food Waste,” UC Berkeley agricultural economics professor and Wolf Prize laureate David Zilberman will discuss the status of our food supply chain and the socioeconomic and environmental forces affecting it. Diana Winter, deputy director of the UCLA Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy, will delve into the role of law and policy and current sustainability initiatives at federal, state and local levels.
“Do you ever wonder how far your food travels before it gets to your plate? Local food has many benefits: a smaller carbon footprint, supports local farmers and businesses, and is likely to be fresher, tastier and more nutritious,” said Annemiek Schilder, director of UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Hansen Agricultural Research & Extension Center in Ventura County.
Topics of discussion include defining regional food systems in California and how they contribute to community health. The series will take a look at a local school district that works to shorten the supply chain by preparing delicious meals from whole and local ingredients and turning cafeterias into classrooms. A local farmer will speak to the challenges of producing and distributing food locally.
“According to the USDA, about 30% to 40% of all our food supply is wasted, before or after market. Think of all the water, fertilizer, labor and fuel and wasted to produce and ship that food,” said Schilder who is organizing the event.
There are actions consumers can take to reduce food waste. Ned Spang, associate professor of food science and technology at UC Davis, will discuss solutions to food loss and waste throughout the supply chain. Programs such as UC Master Food Preservers offer resources and practical advice to preserve food. Local nonprofits like Food Share help to recover and redistribute food within communities.
Registration for the webinar series, which is sponsored by the UC Thelma Hansen Fund, is free. To register and see the agenda and speaker biographies, visit http://ucanr.edu/HansenFoodSystems.
Speakers include:
- David Zilberman, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Berkeley
Our food supply: Where Are We and Where Are We Going? - Diana Winters, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy, UCLA
Food Policy and Sustainability - Gail Feenstra, Ph.D., Director UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program
Regional Food Systems: Connecting Farms, Consumer, and Communities - Vanessa Zajfen, Director Food and Nutrition Services, Ocean View School District, Oxnard, California
Shortening the Supply Chain with “Farm to School” - Max Becher, Co-Owner, Farmivore, Oxnard, California
Farmivore: Connecting Farmers with Eaters - Ned Spang, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, UC Davis
Advancing Solutions to Address Food Loss and Waste - Sue Mosbacher, Coordinator UC Master Food Preserver Program
Preserve Today, Relish Tomorrow: Education in Food Preservation - Monica White, President & CEO, Food Share, Ventura County
Saving Food to Help Those in Need
Youth-run garden provides 10,000 pounds of produce for San Diego families
UC SAREP's Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems grant helps support Second Chance garden
Fifteen-year-old Xavier knows the anger within him will never leave. “I can't ever get rid of it,” he said.
“I've always wanted to just fight for no reason; I just had an anger issue, losing my temper quick with people,” added Xavier, a ninth-grader in San Diego County. “I have high expectations of myself.”
Xavier is working to keep his emotions under control, and he has found a sense of calm through his volunteer work. He was an intern – and then a peer supervisor – in the youth-run garden of Second Chance, a San Diego-based organization that works to break the cycles of poverty and incarceration by providing housing and job training to adults and young people.
Operating their garden as a small farm business, youth in the program, ages 14 to 21, offer produce to the community through their farm stand and a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model.
“The project incorporates a ‘farm to fork' approach in which youth not only experience how to grow food, but how to cook and eat healthfully,” said Gail Feenstra, director of the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, which has a grant program that funds research and education projects – such as the youth garden – supporting sustainable food systems.
“Second Chance works primarily with youth in communities of color, providing them with training and also helping them develop confidence in themselves,” Feenstra said.
Filling a critical need for fresh produce
Caelli Wright, program manager of the Second Chance youth garden, said that grant funds from SAREP – a program of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources – have been used to purchase the supplies needed to sustain the program. The garden has filled a critical need for produce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After the pandemic hit, we recognized the increased need for fresh food in our neighborhoods,” Wright said. “That need was already there – southeast San Diego is considered a ‘food swamp' or ‘food apartheid', if you will – and with the onset of COVID, that need just escalated with unemployment and complications in our food production systems.”
Through a partnership with UC San Diego Center for Community Health and Encanto Elementary School (located down the block from the garden), donations enabled the program to give its CSA shares to about 25 families at Encanto. Over the course of the pandemic, the youth have grown 10,000 pounds of produce to donate.
At the same time, the program helps the young participants grow. For Xavier, being outdoors with peers empowered him to develop positive relationships. Previously, as a student in a charter school program, he was not accustomed to interacting with people and groups. Volunteering in the youth garden has given him a fresh perspective and understanding of others.
“Learning to be patient with people and [to] accept sometimes that if I don't know something, I need to ask about it, because I used to be so in my ego that I thought I knew everything,” Xavier explained. “But I don't know everything – I just learned to accept some things…that's just being part of life. And that's something that the garden has helped me with, personally.”
Opportunities for personal, social growth
Developing – and redeveloping – social skills are especially important for students, as they return from the disconnections associated with remote learning.
“Right now, with a lot of students facing the aftermath of COVID and being restricted to learning at home and not getting as much social interaction in their daily lives, it's led to a lot of challenges, mental health-wise, and social and emotional learning-wise,” Wright said. “The garden program provides that opportunity that some youth have been missing out on.”
In southeast San Diego, such crucial opportunities for personal growth and career exploration are harder to come by, and Second Chance started the garden in 2012 to give youth a unique work experience and valuable skills. About 400 young people have participated in the program.
“The youth that we serve are coming from low-income neighborhoods that are underserved with resources,” Wright said. “They just are not exposed to the same opportunities [as those in higher-income areas] to build skills or be ready for the workforce or to reach higher education – so that's where our program comes in and helps deliver those needed services.”
Xavier, who originally came to the garden because he heard that landscaping could be a lucrative career, recently finished his second stint as a peer supervisor in the youth garden. With his new skills, he and his cousin are looking to start a business of their own, cutting grass and doing yardwork in their community.
And, late last month, Xavier transferred to a more traditional high school environment.
“Being in a charter school after two, three years,” he said, “I've realized I miss being around more people.”
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