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UC Master Gardener of San Diego County’s ‘labor of love’ improves health of older adults
The Belden Village Apartments in Clairemont Mesa East of San Diego is home to a diverse population of older adults. Shital Parikh, a UC Master Gardener of San Diego County, took the initiative to build a garden that grows food and encourages residents to spend more time outdoors, getting their hands dirty alongside neighbors.
Almost a year ago, Parikh – a UC Master Gardener since 2014 – proposed to develop a community garden within the low-income residential facility with the intention that the residents would manage it independently overtime. When the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) and County of San Diego approved the proposal, Parikh moved swiftly to break ground on what is now the Belden Community Garden.
“The Belden Community Garden is a labor of love,” Parikh said. “One that has been made possible thanks to the knowledge and support gained from the UC Master Gardener Program and the invaluable support from Amy Zink from the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency.”
Breaking ground for a community garden
In September 2023, interested residents at the Belden Village Apartments gathered to learn of the project and understand how they can be involved. In October, the County of San Diego received a donation from Home Depot which included garden beds, and the materials needed to build them. All of which were donated to Parikh to establish the Belden Community Garden.
“This project has received approved funding from our partners and there has not been any out-of-pocket expense,” said Parikh.
In preparation for the garden beds, residents teamed up with more than a dozen UC Master Gardeners of San Diego County to learn various gardening skills. Some taught residents how to create seed tape, making it easier to plant seeds in an organized manner, the basics of vegetable gardening and food prep classes as well.
In January 2024, 13 garden beds were installed and ready for planting. In March, residents enjoyed their first harvest of vegetables and leafy greens by hosting a salad-making luncheon where everyone could taste the fresh produce grown on-site.
“The residents are at the heart of this, and it's been a joy to see them come together across different languages and cultures, sharing in the harvest and learning alongside us,” said Parikh.
Other than English, there are four primary languages spoken in the residential community, including Spanish, Arabic, Farsi and Vietnamese. All garden signs communicate the names of crops in these primary languages – a nod to the residents who helped establish and maintain the garden, which also features crops important in the various cultures.
Residents at the ‘heart' of it all
The Belden Community Garden has two residential garden coordinators, Art Dawson and Lisa Hillman, who are responsible for watering and general maintenance of the garden. Neither Dawson nor Hillman had prior gardening experience.
In the three years that Hillman has been living at the Belden Village Apartments, this is the first time she's participated in a community effort like the garden. “I didn't come outside or interact with neighbors much – but since I started volunteering here, I see so many people and I know more people in my community,” said Hillman, who described the various colors of squash – her favorite vegetable, so far – grown and harvested in the garden.
Dawson, in contrast, isn't a big fan of squash and prefers greens instead. “I'm African American, so I'm all about the collard greens,” said Dawson. Learning as he goes, Dawson said his primary job is managing irrigation.
“I've never gardened before in my life. But I like helping out and working with my hands,” he said. “I kind of like it. It keeps me busy, and I love seeing how everything grows from a tiny seed.”
Shahnaz Roshanoi, a resident whose native language is Farsi, said she was so happy when the garden came to fruition. Roshanoi maintains a garden of her own using the limited space that surrounds her apartment with plants reaching as tall as seven feet. Since the community garden was established, Roshanoi has been an active volunteer, sharing her extensive gardening knowledge with others and inviting more residents to join the fun.
Parikh's effort inspires development of more community gardens
During her earlier days as a UC Master Gardener, Parikh taught gardening via Zoom because of COVID-19. Parikh focused on teaching low-income residents, who are often at a disadvantage in accessing affordable healthy food options. Her gardening projects have all benefitted from her 10-plus years of experience in companion planting and crop rotation, pollinator gardens and native plants.
“Watching the garden evolve has been incredibly rewarding, and I can't wait to see how it continues to thrive!” said Parikh.
With generous support from the UC Master Gardeners Program of San Diego County, County of San Diego, SDHC's Achievement Academy, and the Del Mar Mesa Garden Club, the Belden Community Garden teaches residents how to grow their own food, enjoy it, and live healthier, happier lives.
The success and impact of the Belden Village community has inspired two more community gardens in low-income resident facilities located in the Mesa Valley and Otay Mesa neighborhoods in San Diego.
“I do what I can and then leave the rest to divinity,” Parikh said. “Time and again, help has found its way, or maybe it's simply a matter of trusting the process and staying consistent.”
The UC Master Gardeners of San Diego County work to expand the love of gardening and improve food security across the county. You can support their efforts by donating at this link here: https://give.ucanr.edu/forms/SanDiego-MG
Desert Organic Research and Food Safety Workshop set for Dec. 4 in Holtville
The "Advances in Southwest Desert Agriculture Research, Organic Production and Food Safety" workshop is scheduled for Dec. 4 in Holtville. This event will showcase cutting-edge research and practical organic farming strategies tailored to California's unique desert environment.
The symposium will feature presentations from University of California Cooperative Extension advisors and other experts.
The agenda covers a range of critical topics, including insect pest management in low desert agriculture, weed management strategies for guayule seedlings, summer cover crops for soil health and disease management, integrated pest management for onion diseases, predicting sugar beet cyst nematode suppressiveness, and microbial risk assessment of soil amendments in organic romaine lettuce.
“These presentations will provide valuable insights into improving desert vegetable production, irrigation efficiency, and food safety practices specific to our region,” said co-organizer Jimmy Nguyen, University of California Cooperative Extension food safety and organic production area advisor for Imperial and Riverside counties.
“This symposium presents an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest research findings directly applicable to Imperial County agriculture, gain practical knowledge to enhance your agricultural practices, and network with fellow professionals and researchers in the field.”
The UC Cooperative Extension team aims to foster the exchange of ideas and promote the advancement of agricultural practices in the community.
“We encourage everyone involved in growing crops in Imperial County to attend this informative event and contribute to the ongoing dialogue on agricultural innovation in the Southwest desert region,” Nguyen said.
The workshop will be held at Barbara Worth Country Club, 2050 Country Club Dr, Holtville, CA 92250. Register at https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=43924.
For more information, please contact UC Cooperative Extension advisors Jimmy Nguyen, cgnguyen@ucanr.edu; Philip Waisen, pwaisen@ucanr.edu; Ali Montazar, amontazar@ucanr.edu; or Oli Bachie, obachie@ucanr.edu; or call (442) 265-7700.
CFHL, UC and UCCE Alameda team up with UCSF for Food Farmacy
Green peas, orange carrot cubes and squares of white tofu sizzled as they were stirred into brown rice in an electric frying pan. “Smells good,” commented a man walking to the fresh produce display.
Every week UC San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland gives away fresh produce to patients and community members at its Food Farmacy to improve food security in the community. On Nov. 14, nutrition experts from UC Cooperative Extension and CalFresh Healthy Living, UC joined UCSF colleagues to encourage Oakland residents to eat fresh fruits and vegetables for better health.
Tuline Baykal, CalFresh Healthy Living, UC Cooperative Extension program supervisor in Alameda County, and CFHL, UC community educators Mercy Mumba, Yolanda Silva and Mariela Wajler showed visitors how to prepare dishes that could be easily made from fresh produce. Mumba and Wajler cooked tofu fried rice while Silva tossed slices of persimmon, dried cranberries and spinach together before drizzling an orange juice dressing on top. They handed out recipes with samples of the foods.
Alexa Erickson, UCCE nutrition advisor for Alameda and Contra Costa counties, was on site to answer nutrition questions.
Community members could choose from a generous array of free leafy greens, cucumbers, red cabbage, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, citrus, red onions, bell peppers, chicken and other grocery items.
Through their collaboration, the UCSF health professionals and UC ANR nutrition educators hope to highlight the role of food in healthy living and California farms in producing healthy living options.
“A partnership with UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Clinics presents opportunities for us to expand our delivery of CalFresh Healthy Living, UC education to parents in places they are going to receive health care for their children – making this vital nutrition education more accessible,” said Andra Nicoli, CalFresh Healthy Living, UC program and project policy analyst based at UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.
Nicoli worked with Antonio De Wolk, UCSF's assistant director of content strategy, and Rigoberto Del Toro, manager of the Food Farmacies at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, to coordinate UC ANR's participation in the Food Farmacy.
Especialista en seguridad alimentaria de UC pone a prueba biosensores para detectar patógenos en frutas y verduras
Ahmed El-Moghazy se integró a la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de UC como especialista en seguridad alimentaria de Extensión Cooperativa el pasado febrero y trabaja desde UC Riverside. La seguridad alimentaria de acuerdo con El-Moghazy, son medidas que garantizan que los alimentos estén libres de contaminantes perjudiciales, que sean seguros para comer y, además, previenen enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos contaminados. El-Moghazy es responsable de apoyar a los granjeros de California e instalaciones donde se procesan alimentos para que mejoren sus prácticas de seguridad alimentaria capacitando al personal apropiado y abordando los problemas de seguridad alimentaria en sus granjas.
Como principal investigador del Laboratorio 2-SAFE en UC Riverside, El-Moghazy investiga la precisión y aplicabilidad de la tecnología de biosensores en el punto de uso. El sensor ligero y fácil de usar puede utilizarse en el campo o en una empacadora para medir la contaminación de líquidos como el agua de riego y lavado o sólidos como muestras de alimentos.
Las pruebas de patógenos en los alimentos tradicionalmente toman entre dos y tres días y el proceso puede ser costoso. La tecnología de biosensores que El-Moghazy usa es económico y puede proporcionar resultados en un turno de trabajo, lo que permite al negocio que cultiva frutas y verduras frescas confirmar la seguridad de sus productos antes de que salgan al mercado.
La alternativa, vender alimentos contaminados a los consumidores, no solo es perjudicial para la salud humana, pero también puede arruinar la reputación del negocio, resultando en costos no anticipados asociados con la retirada de productos contaminados y consecuencias reglamentarias incluyendo multas y sanciones.
El-Moghazy también se encuentra desarrollando la próxima generación de revestimientos superficiales antimicrobianos y materiales que pueden rápidamente controlar los patógenos transmitidos por los alimentos y detener la transferencia de bacteria nociva de los alimentos contaminados a los no contaminados.
El-Moghazy se siente optimista de que su investigación pueda salvaguardar la salud pública, reducir la carga de las enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos y proteger la integridad de los negocios. No obstante que El-Moghazy sirve a todo el estado, está dedicando una gran parte de su evaluación de necesidades y esfuerzos al Sur de California donde crecen cultivos de especialidad de alto valor como los aguacates y cítricos.
"¿Sabía que uno de cada seis estadounidenses se enferma por haber comida un alimento contaminado con un patógeno transmitido por alimentos?", preguntó El-Moghazy. El experto cree que incrementar la sensibilización sobre las enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos mediante la educación es un aspecto esencial de sus funciones. "Es verdad, pero no mucha gente se da cuenta de ello, ni que un 40 por ciento de las enfermedades trasmitidas por alimentos se originan en las frutas y verduras frescas".
Para proteger a los consumidores, la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de Estados Unidos requiere que las granjas con cierto nivel de ventas anuales (ajustadas por la inflación) de frutas y verduras que típicamente se comen crudas, cuenten con un empleado que ha tomado la capacitación Produce Safety Rule Grower Training (Norma de seguridad sobre frutas y verduras para agricultores) aprobado por la FDA.
Además de las capacitaciones certificadas, El-Moghazy ofrece asistencia técnica para garantizar que los agricultores cumplen con los requisitos antes y después de las inspecciones, así como recursos en diferentes temas incluyendo seguridad sobre frutas y verduras, agua para agricultura, acondicionadores del suelo, salud, higiene y capacitación de trabajadores y manejo y sanidad. También puede asistir en el desarrollo de planes para seguridad alimentaria y otros protocolos generales de una granja. Su experiencia técnica cubre todos los aspectos de la producción de alimentos y suministros incluyendo el agua de riego, higiene de las herramientas usadas en la cosecha y transportación.
Antes de unirse a ANR, El-Moghazy trabajo dos años como académico invitado en el Departamento de Ingeniería Biológica y Agrícola de UC Davis antes de continuar como becario postdoctorado en el Departamento de Ciencias y Tecnología Alimentarias de UC Davis durante cinco años. Mucho de su trabajo se centró en el desarrollo de biosensores y material antimicrobianos para la seguridad alimentaria. Estando en Davis, colaboró con las granjas locales y compañías procesadoras de alimentos con investigación y extensión en seguridad alimentaria.
El-Moghazy obtuvo su doctorado estudiando biosensores de desarrollo para aplicaciones de seguridad alimentaria con el fin de detectar residuos de plaguicidas a partir de un programa conjunto ofrecido por las universidades de Perpignan en Francia y Alexandria en Egipto. También obtuvo una maestría en fungicidas biobasados de desarrollo y una licenciatura en ciencias agrícolas de la Universidad de Alexandria. Finalmente completó una beca de investigación en el Instituto para la Protección de las Plantas, en la Universidad de Szent Istvan en Hungría, donde estudió la forma de extender la vida útil de las frutas y verduras usando biomateriales.
El-Moghazy tiene su base en el Departamento de Microbiología y Patología de las Plantas en UC Riverside. Si desea contactarlo puede hacerlo escribiendo a aelmogha@ucr.edu o llamando a (951) 827-0257.
Adaptado al español por Leticia Irigoyen del artículo en inglés. Editado para su publicación por Diana Cervantes
Students design high-tech solutions through Farm Robotics Challenge
Award-winning teams announced at FIRA USA robotics conference
A robot that navigates and weeds row-crop fields – and its design team from Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts – have garnered the grand prize in the second annual Farm Robotics Challenge. Five winning teams, representing various universities and colleges across the U.S., were announced on Oct. 24 during a ceremony at the FIRA USA robotics conference in Woodland (watch recording).
A total of nine teams competed in the Farm Robotics Challenge, organized by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS), with support from technology partner farm-ng.
During the yearlong contest, the students engaged with growers about their pain points and challenges and then developed creative solutions using the farm-ng Amiga robot platform.
“It's inspiring to see the creativity and dedication of these students, who put in a lot of hard work and long hours to pull together some truly remarkable projects for this competition,” said Gabriel Youtsey, chief innovation officer at UC ANR. “We hope the challenge attracts more students to consider careers in agriculture; we're here to help build a supportive community to grow that pipeline to the workforce.”
Providing a platform for students to demonstrate innovative design, field testing and evaluation, and real-world problem solving, the Farm Robotics Challenge is sponsored by F3 Innovate, Beck's Hybrids, California Tomato Research Institute and the United Soybean Board.
“It's a great day when engineers, marketing and technology folks understand there are great opportunities to create products for American farmers,” said Brad Fruth, director of innovation at Beck's Hybrids. “It has been exciting for Beck's Hybrids to participate in this challenge and see the bleeding edge of where technology and agriculture converge.”
The student teams leveraged AI, machine learning, automation, coding and fabrication to advance innovation in agriculture.
“Not only does the challenge demonstrate the future of farming with robotics, but it's also encouraging the next generation of engineers to focus their talents on the challenges that exist in growing our food,” said Brendan Dowdle, CEO of farm-ng. “The students who participate have a unique mix of skills in robotics, software and a passion for the future of agriculture.”
Grand Prize Winner: PhoenixBot, Olin College of Engineering, an autonomous mechanical weeding systembuilt to navigate through row-based crop fields of seedling to early-stage crops to effectively remove weeds from the beds
Team Advisor: Kenechukwu Mbanisi
Students:
Summer Crew/Leads: Jeffrey Woodyard, Dokyun Kim, AJ Evans, Toby Mallon, Brooke Moss
Subteam Leads: Dexter Friis-Hecht, Joe Leedy, Maya Adelman, Dominic Salmieri, Chang Jun Park, Akshat Jain
Team Members: Bill Le, Dongim Lee, Felix Halaska, Bhargavi Deshpande, Elisa Camacho, Cooper Penkava, Marcellus Smith, Rohan Bendapudi, Darian Jiminez, Ivy Mahncke, Quinn Verrill, Sam Wisnoski, Oscar Bao, Mia Chevere, Shauna Sperou
Excellence in Productivity: Florabot, Auburn University, a robot designed to autonomously navigate through nursery plant beds collecting imagery data for plant counting and quality assessment
Team Advisor: Tanzeel Rehman
Students: Hamid Syed, Faraz Ahmad, Mesbahul Maruf, Mohtasim Hadi, Carter Freeman
Excellence in Small Farms Technology: Bin Haulers, Washington State University & Heritage University, a precision agricultural robotic system designed for efficient bin-picking and placement in apple orchards
Team Advisors: Manoj Karkee, Safal Kshetri
Students: Dawood Ahmed, Syed Usama Bin Sabir, Divyanth L.G., Priyanka Upadhyaya, Achyut Paudel, Robert Barragan, Apol Medrano, Osmar Alvarez, Bethany Navaroo, Salvador Ayala
Excellence in Sustainability: TAMU-NCSU Robotics Team, Texas A&M University & North Carolina State University, a multi-modal proximal data collection system utilizing artificial intelligence to generate height maps for semi-structured row crop fields to aid in effective application of post-emergence herbicide
Team Advisors: Steven Brian Mirsky, Chris Reberg-Horton, Muthu Bagavathiannan
Students: Joe Johnson, Matthew Kutugata, Ruthvik Kanumuri, Wesley Hawkes, Jonathan Herrera, Luke Conran, Sebastian Chu
Excellence in Safety: University of California Santa Cruz, an application that allows a user to view the camera, as well as operate the Amiga robot, without a physical connection
Team Advisors: Dejan Milutinovic, Darryl Wong
Students: Katherine Rogacheva, Milos Suvakovic, Oliver Fuchs, Sam Leveau, Mauricio Chavez
In addition to recognition for their efforts, the Grand Prize Winner was awarded $10,000, and the Excellence in Productivity and Small Farms Technology winners won $5,000 each, while the Excellence in Sustainability and Safety winners won $2,500 each.
Other competitors in the challenge included teams from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California State University Fresno, Hartnell College and The Pennsylvania State University.
For more information about the Farm Robotics Challenge, including details on how to participate, visit https://farmroboticschallenge.ai.
