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The Principles of Indigenous Food Sovereignty
Indigenous Food Sovereignty: Opportunities and Importance in Extension work
In 2007, the first global Forum on Food Sovereignty defined the concept as “the right of peoples to healthy, culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.” Since then, advocates of food sovereignty have applied this definition to promote food access in remote areas, urban centers, cultural diaspora and reservations.
For Indigenous Peoples, food sovereignty includes a kin-centric relational model to the land and non-human relatives as part of the food system. In their 2020 scoping review, Tara L. Maudrie and colleagues identified four principles of indigenous food sovereignty (IFS) and assessed how interventions using these principles impact food access, diet quality, and health. Extension professionals can apply these principles to our research and education with Indigenous communities to increase our impact and create meaningful change:
Principle 1: Community Ownership - Ensuring that interventions are community-led. Using a research approach known as “community-based participatory research” (CBPR) prioritizes ongoing participant engagement in planning, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of the results. Example methods used in successful interventions include developing community advisory boards, consulting with elders and community leaders, and providing reports of the research outcomes to the community. Inviting tribal members and participants to be an active part of the “research team” through co-designed procedures and co-authored products ensures that the Extension projects directly benefit the community.
Principle 2. Inclusion of Traditional Food Knowledge - Emphasizing cultural knowledge about food production, harvesting and preparation. Locally relevant Tribal food systems activities – such as fishing, harvesting traditional plants, and cooking traditional recipes – support intergenerational knowledge passing and resilient food systems. Further inclusion of tribal land management and food production techniques such as burning and seed-keeping maintain a respect for Indigenous traditions and land ethic. Incorporating culturally relevant nutrition education, conducting prior research on local food systems knowledge, and gathering community feedback to inform project development can help to integrate traditional knowledge systems with Extension expertise in food systems and community health.
Principle 3: Promotion of Traditional and Cultural Foods: Encouraging the consumption of Indigenous, nutrient-dense, traditional foods. Traditional Indigenous foods uplift cultural values, and research indicates an association between traditional food intake and diet quality. Promoting specific cultural foods of local tribes represent this principle. Traditional foods offer an opportunity to explore potential collaborations with UC Master Gardeners, local producers and UC Master Food Preservers. Permission of tribal leaders for any use of traditional foods and preparations, especially for external audiences, is essential to support tribal food sovereignty and maintain trust between Extension agents and tribal communities.
Principle 4: Environmental Sustainability - Supporting sustainable food systems that respect and integrate Indigenous knowledge of the environment. Barriers to healthy food access include environmental degradation of traditional harvesting and cultivation sites, lack of reliable food distributors, and the replacement of fresh produce by packaged and processed food. These environmental factors can contribute to health disparities by disproportionately impacting communities with limited income and mobility. Creating gardens, food distributions and supporting cultural connections to the environment helps to foster resilient and sustainable food systems rooted in an ethic of care.
Maudrie's review shows that health and nutrition programs that integrate the principles of Indigenous Food Sovereignty have positive impacts on diet quality and nutrition security. These programs considered the program's environmental impact, continually engaged the community and prioritized traditional knowledge and foods. These principles can be applied to a wide variety of Extension methods and research approaches, offering a pathway toward improved food systems, cultural revitalization and better health outcomes for California's Indigenous communities.
Climate, wildfire, wolves topics of Feb. 18 rangeland discussions in Davis
Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium to address California's changing landscapes
Ranchers, land managers, conservationists, policymakers and scientists will gather to discuss the evolving challenges and opportunities in managing the state's rangelands at the 2025 Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium on Feb. 18at UC Davis.
“The 2025 symposium will bring together a broad range of perspectives to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing California's working landscapes, which are crucial to both the state's economy and environmental health,” said Leslie Roche, professor of Cooperative Extension in rangeland management at UC Davis.
Key themes for the 2025 symposium, "California's Changing Landscapes," include:
- Climate and Weather: Understanding the changing climate, impacts on rangelands and potential solutions for adaptation.
- Wildfire Resilience: Expanding strategies to mitigate wildfire risks and post-fire recovery of rangelands.
- Ranching with Wolves: Examining the scale of wolf-cattle conflicts on ranches and assessing the economic impacts of ranching with wolves.
“This symposium aims to spark meaningful conversations and cultivate new partnerships that will drive solutions to the critical challenges of sustainablerangeland management,” said Ken Tate, professor of Cooperative Extension inrangeland watershed sciences at UC Davis.
Presentation and speakers include:
- “Building Climate Resilience across California's Rangelands: Approaches for Sustainable Ranching, Adaptive Management, and Collaborative Conservation,” by Roche
- “Climate-smart Agriculture: Rangeland Soil Health,” by Anthony T. O'Geen, professor & soil resource specialist in Cooperative Extension, Russell L. Rustici Endowed Chair in Rangeland Watershed Science, UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources
- “Increasing hydroclimate whiplash in California: Implications for California's grasslands and shrublands,” via Zoom by Daniel Swain, climate scientist, California Institute for Water Resources, UC ANR and Institute of the Environment & Sustainability, UCLA
- California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force: Expanding the use of prescribed grazing as a landscape management tool, by Patrick Wright, director of the Governor's California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force
- “State-of-the-Art Strategies for Reducing Wildfire Risk on Forests and Rangelands,” by Dan Macon, UCCE livestock & natural resources advisor, Central Sierra; and Bianca Artadi Soares Shapero, targeted grazing practitioner and project manager at Star Creek Land Stewards Inc.
- Ranching through Wildfire, by Tracy Schohr, UCCE livestock & natural resources advisor, Plumas, Sierra and Butte counties
- Status of Gray Wolf Population and Conservation in California, by Axel Honeycutt, state wolf coordinator, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Understanding the Scale and Scope of Wolf-Cattle Conflict on California's Ranches, by Tate
- Quantifying the Economic Impacts of Ranching with Wolves, by Tina Saitone, professor of Cooperative Extension, UC Davis Agricultural and Resource Economics
Closing comments will be made by Lynn Huntsinger, professor of rangeland ecology and management and Russell Rustici Chair in Rangeland Management, in the UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science and Policy.
After the presentations, participants are invited to network and engage in informal discussions during a social and poster session.
Register at https://bit.ly/2025RusticiSymposium. For more information and updates, visit https://rangelands.ucdavis.edu/2025-rustici-rangeland-science-symposium.
Established in 2012, the Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium celebrates the work of Russell L. Rustici and his commitment to advancing sustainable rangeland management. The event serves as a vital forum for engaging conversations on rangeland management, conservation, and policy.
The symposium is funded in part by the UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences' Russell L. Rustici Rangeland & Cattle Research, Education and Extension Endowment.
/h3>Almond Day updates growers on new pest, disease in California
UC Cooperative Extension advisors organize educational event in north San Joaquin Valley
Late in 2023, California almond growers – responsible for a crop valued at $3.88 billion in 2023 – started to hear about a potentially devastating new pest, the carpophilus beetle (Carpophilus truncatus).
With virtually no information about this species in California, Jhalendra Rijal and his colleagues spent 2024 investigating its extent in the almond-growing regions of the state and learning from peers in Australia, where the insect has been a persistent scourge for a decade.
“This year, we at least have the one year of experience with this pest, and we have generated information that is relevant and practical for the growers,” said Rijal, a University of California Cooperative Extension integrated pest management advisor. For example: After an insecticide trial was largely ineffective (likely because the beetle spends most of its life cycle protected within the nut), Rijal has been emphasizing cultural practices like orchard sanitation.
Sharing those crucial updates is one reason why the annual UCCE North San Joaquin Valley Almond Day is essential for growers, industry professionals and pest control advisers. This year's event was held on Jan. 21 at the Modesto Centre Plaza.
“It's the meeting on everyone's calendar,” said Rijal, who co-organized the event alongside his UC Agriculture and Natural Resources peers, Brent Holtz and Cameron Zuber.
With support from Farm Credit, the 2025 Almond Day attracted about 140 people, who heard about a range of best practices on almond production and pest management from six UC experts.
“This is a great educational tool,” said meeting attendee Ali Arshad, a Blue Diamond grower who operates several ranches in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. “I like to come attend their seminars as much as possible; they're very educational and informative – and very helpful too.”
Scientists offer advice on managing carpophilus beetle, red leaf blotch in almonds
Fellow grower Donny Hicks, who has attended 14 Almond Day meetings, concurred about the usefulness of the event. “Everything that was covered today is applicable to what I do,” he said.
Troubled by the presence of Carpophilus truncatus on his orchard in Hughson, Stanislaus County, Hicks said he recently partnered with Rijal to set some traps on his property, hoping to grow scientists' understanding of the pest.
“It takes growers to help advance that knowledge and be the ‘guinea pigs' somewhat,” Hicks explained. “At the same time, if it helps us growers as a whole, that's a good thing.”
During his opening talk, Rijal reiterated the need for growers to clean up the remnant “mummy” nuts on the ground that serve as overwintering habitat and a food source for the next generation of beetles in the spring.
“Do the sanitation so you can destroy the population from the beginning and you will have less of a problem,” said Rijal, who also shared a visual ID guide that can help growers identify the specific pest in their orchard and thus better target their control methods.
Growers also heard practical advice on an emerging almond disease, red leaf blotch, caused by the fungus Polystigma amygdalinum. Named for the orange-red patches of discoloration on leaves, red leaf blotch in almond has led to significant crop loss across Mediterranean countries. Unknown in California prior to last year, there was an explosion of reports throughout the San Joaquin Valley during 2024.
“It was pretty surprising, both the quickness and vastness of the spread,” said Alejandro Hernandez-Rosas, a UC Davis Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Florent Trouillas, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Pathology at UC Davis.
During his presentation, Hernandez-Rosas said a preventative application of fungicide at petal fall – and then again at two and five weeks after petal fall – appear to work best to manage this disease. Fungicide applications made after the blotchy leaf symptoms appear will not be effective, Hernandez-Rosas said, and further research needs to be done to determine the most effective products and optimal timing for growers to make the most of their applications.
And because leaf litter is the “primary source” of the disease inoculum, Hernandez-Rosas added that cultural practices focused on speeding cleanup or decomposition of leaf litter are critical to reduce disease severity. However, it is only effective if done over a wide area in conjunction with neighbors.
Rodents, irrigation, replanting and whole orchard recycling
Both Arshad and Hicks mentioned that they intend to tackle the gopher problem in their orchards.
“I plant a cover crop every year and the gophers tend to really like it – so I get overrun with those gophers,” Hicks explained. “I'm trying to find that balance of not letting them overtake my orchard but still being able to cover crop – because that's beneficial too.”
With many growers voicing a desire to learn about burrowing rodents, Almond Day organizers were pleased to schedule a presentation by Roger Baldwin, professor of Cooperative Extension in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology at UC Davis.
Baldwin presented the available control options for not only pocket gophers but also ground squirrels and meadow voles. He stressed the need to understand the biology and ecology of the rodents to maximize efficacy; for example, whereas ground squirrels prefer green foliage as their main food source in the spring, they switch to seeds in the summer/fall – which would thus be a better time to use pelletized baits.
In choosing from baiting, trapping, habitat modification, burrow fumigation, biocontrols and other options, Baldwin recommended combining different strategies and approaches in an integrated way.
“Mixing and matching tools will give you the best possible results,” he said.
The utility of combining methods was also a key takeaway from the presentation by Moneim Mohamed, UCCE irrigation and soils advisor. Highlighting the latest tools and innovations, Mohamed outlined the soil-based, weather-based and plant-based methods to collect data that can help growers make the most of their water.
Mohamed said using even just one approach is beneficial in optimizing irrigation scheduling – but more is even better. “A combination of the three methods is the best,” he said.
Cameron Zuber, UCCE orchard crops farm advisor for Merced County, discussed considerations related to replanting an orchard, including field and soil conditions and the management of plant-parasitic nematodes and aggressive pathogens and pests. He also encouraged attendees to visit growingthevalleypodcast.com for more information on tree nuts and a host of other topics.
Finally, Brent Holtz, UCCE orchard systems farm advisor for San Joaquin County and a trailblazer for whole orchard recycling, presented an overview of WOR. He then shared recent findings on its effects on fungal pathogens, and ways to mitigate drawbacks of WOR – such as the initial carbon-to-nitrogen imbalance when the recycled almond wood chips are first spread on a field.
Hicks, who has already tried WOR in his orchard, is also the grower relations manager for RPAC, a Los Banos-based company that grows, processes and markets almonds. Hicks said he also brings what he learns during Almond Day to his fellow growers – illustrating the multiplier effect of such educational events.
“I have growers who possibly will be doing whole orchard recycling, and I can share that information,” Hicks said.
/h3>/h3>/h3>El cambio climático transforma y desafía a la agricultura
A medida que el clima continue cambiando, los riesgos a la agricultura seguirán creciendo.
Ese es el punto principal de un reciente reporte publicado por un equipo que incluye a investigadores de UC Merced y la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de UC. El documento profundiza en lo que son estos desafíos, la forma en que están trabajando los agricultores para abordarlos y lo qué debe venir después.
El reporte "Agricultura climáticamente inteligente: evaluando las necesidades y percepciones de los granjeros de California", fue escrito por primera vez por Samuel Ikendi, coordinador académico, junto con Tapan Pathak, especialista en adaptación climática en la agricultura de Extensión Cooperativa de UC, como autor correspondiente. Ambos tienen sus bases en UC Merced. Pathak es también director del Proyecto "Multifaceted Pathways to Climate-Smart Agriculture through Participator Program Development and Delivery" (Vías polifacéticas hacia una agricultura climáticamente inteligente mediante el desarrollo y la ejecución de programas participativos), el cual fue financiado por el Instituto Nacional de Alimentos y Agricultura. El proyecto apoyó la realización del estudio, el cual fue publicado en el acceso abierto del diario Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
La evaluación de necesidades fue diseñada para entender las percepciones y experiencias al ser expuestos al clima, las prácticas de gestión de riesgos que utilizan actualmente y cuáles herramientas y recursos les ayudarían para tomar decisiones estratégicas.
De los granjeros que respondieron a la encuesta, aproximadamente dos terceras partes estuvieron de acuerdo en que el cambio climático está ocurriendo y requiere de acción. Muchos más indicaron estar interesados en aprender más sobre el impacto del cambio climático en la industria agrícola. La mayoría de los participantes señalaron está experimentando un mayor impacto por el cambio climático en sus granjas hoy en día que hace 10 años.
Los granjeros se mostraron muy preocupados con los problemas relacionados con el agua, especialmente los que se ubican en las áreas del Valle de San Joaquín, Costa Central y Inland Empire y mayormente preocupados sobre la reducción en la disponibilidad de aguas subterráneas. Un incremento en la severidad de las sequías es una preocupación significativa entre los granjeros de Inland Empire, Costa Central y regiones del sur. Los granjeros en la Costa Norte y regiones del sur se mostraron preocupados sobre el creciente daño causado por los incendios forestales.
Los problemas relacionados con la temperatura, incluidos los daños a las cosechas por el calor extremo, estaban estrechamente relacionados.
Los que cultivan verduras estaban más preocupados sobre la disponibilidad del agua para riego. Los productores de frutas se mostraron más preocupados sobre el creciente estrés hídrico de sus cultivos y el incremento en el daño sufrido por los cultivos debido al calor extremo.
Los investigadores reportaron que muchos de los participantes dijeron estar implementando prácticas de adaptación al clima incluyendo la gestión de recursos hídricos, mantener suelos saludables y hacer mayor uso de fuentes de energía renovable. Mencionaron estar buscando la ayuda de las aseguradoras y gobierno para ayudarles a pagar estas adaptaciones e incrementar su resiliencia agrícola.
Los granjeros expresaron interés en aprender más sobre las medidas que pudieran tomar para mitigar los efectos del cambio climático. Pero citaron barreras significantes para llevar a cabo este trabajo, incluyendo los reglamentos gubernamentales, el alto costo de implementación, costo de mano de obra, acceso a agua y la disponibilidad de dinero para pagar por ello.
"El cambio climático está alterando significativamente el paisaje agrícola altamente diverso, planteando retos como el incremento en el estrés hídrico y los cambios en las temporadas de cultivo", manifestó Pathak. "Las prácticas de agricultura climáticamente inteligente pueden aliviar algunas de esas tensiones". Pero, dijo que los esfuerzos de Extensión Cooperativa de UC solo tienen valor si conducen a una toma de decisiones mejor informada sobre el clima a nivel local.
"Una evaluación de su nivel de conocimientos, percepción y necesidades ayudará a adaptar las investigaciones y actividades de extensión que sean relevantes para los granjeros sobre el terreno", indicó Pathak. "Los resultados de este estudio podría también aportar importantes ideas políticas sobre incentivos financieros y asistencia técnica”.
Adaptado al español por Leticia Irigoyen del artículo en inglés. Editado para su publicación por Diana Cervantes
Nueva enfermedad amenaza a los cultivos de almendras en California
La detección del hongo causante de la mancha ocre de la hoja urge a los agricultores a mantenerse vigilantes
Loa síntomas de la mancha ocre de la hoja (RLB, por sus siglas en inglés), una enfermedad que ataca a las plantas causada por el hongo Polystigma amygdalinum, fue observado por primera vez en el Valle de San Joaquín en California.
Pruebas moleculares de DNA hechas en el laboratorio de Florent Trouillas, especialista en patología de los cultivos de frutas y nueces de Extensión Cooperativa de la Universidad de California, detectaron el P. amygdalinum. La identificación de la plaga fue confirmada por el Departamento de Alimentos y Agricultura de California y el Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos.
La enfermedad, nombrada por las características manchas de color naranja a rojo oscuro que aparecen en las hojas infectadas, es por lo general no letal para los árboles, pero ha sido un viejo problema para las regiones del Mediterráneo donde se cultivan almendros. El patógeno fúngico hace que los árboles pierdan sus hojas prematuramente y puede disminuir significativamente la producción en el presente y siguiente años.
“Es una de las enfermedades más severas para los almendros de España y Medio Oriente”, manifestó Trouillas, profesor asociado en el Departamento de Patología de las Plantas de UC Davis. El experto coescribió recientemente un artículo explicativa en el blog Árboles y viñedos del Valle de San Joaquín de UC
Tras observar árboles sintomáticos en múltiples huertos en los condados de Madera, Merced, San Joaquín y Stanislaus, Trouillas señaló que el RLB ya se ha “propagado algo”.
“Desde las primeras observaciones hasta ahora, parece que afecta a algunos de cultivares más plantados, como el Nonpareil y Monterey”, agregó el especialista. “Ya lo hemos observado en una diversidad de cultivares”.
Especialista de Extensión Cooperativa de UC urge que se tomen medidas preventivas
De acuerdo con Trouillas, el RLB causado por el P. amygdalinum es “altamente específico” a los almendros y generalmente solo afecta sus hojas. La infección suele producirse a la caída de los pétalos, cuando los pequeños foliolos están emergiendo por primera vez y son más susceptibles a la enfermedad, Después del periodo latente del patógeno de entre 35 y 40 días, aparecen los primeros síntomas – pequeñas manchas de color pálido en ambos lados de las hojas.
Esas manchas se tornan entre amarillo naranja y luego a un rojo marrón en las etapas avanzadas de la enfermedad durante junio o julio. Ahora, que los síntomas del RLB están siendo más prominentes, Trouillas y los asesores de Extensión Cooperativa de UC de todo el Valle Central han visto un repunte en las llamadas.
“PCA [las siglas en inglés para asesores para el control de plagas] están confundidos porque nunca habían visto algo como esto”, expresó Trouillas, haciendo notar que las manchas de color amarillo naranja son síntomas de un RLB único que no se le puede confundir con otras enfermedades de los almendros.
Aplicar fungicidas después de que los síntomas del RLB aparecen parece ser inefectivo, dijo Trouillas. Lo mejor que los agricultores pueden hacer a este punto es reportar los árboles sintomáticos a los investigadores para que puedan seguir la prevalencia y distribución de la enfermedad.
Los agricultores que vean señales de esta nueva enfermedad en sus huertos deben contactar al asesor agrícola de su oficina local de Extensión Cooperativa de UC.
Las medidas preventivas son lo mejor para el control de RLB, mencionó Trouillas, urgiendo a los agricultores preocupados que piensen en las próximas temporadas de invierno y primavera y planifiquen aplicaciones de fungicidas durante la caída de los pétalos y – si la lluvia persiste – también dos semanas y cinco semanas después de la caída de los pétalos. Por fortuna, este es el mismo periodo para el manejo de otras enfermedades, como el cribado del almendro y antracnosis.
“Debido a que el RLB es algo que se introduce y es potencialmente agresivo, es importante que los agricultores tengan esto en cuenta el año que viene y cumplan con el programa de fumigación del año siguiente”, dijo Trouillas.
Para más información sobre el RLB visite https://www.sjvtandv.com/blog/first-detection-of-red-leaf-blotch-a-new-disease-of-almond-in-california.
Adaptado al español por Leticia Irigoyen del artículo en inglés. Editado para su publicación por Diana Cervantes