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California EFNEP

Brightly colored vegetables and flowers.
Rod Stiefvater speaks at a Department of Plant Sciences seminar
Article

Gift extends UC Davis pistachio research on new scions, rootstocks

March 6th, 2025
By Emily C. Dooley
The University of California, Davis, is enhancing and expanding its Pistachio Breeding Program after a generous gift from philanthropist and pistachio farmer Rod Stiefvater, who is donating more than $335,000 over three years to develop new rootstocks that thrive under changing climate conditions.
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Hand turns on a tap with water splashing out of a glass
Article

Survey: Water system consolidations improve water quality, infrastructure

February 28th, 2025
By Michael Hsu
Kristin Dobbin, a UCCE specialist, is studying the consolidation of water systems, which can entail creating physical connections (such as pipelines) between water systems or administrative mergers that leave the physical infrastructure unchanged. Water system consolidation has become a top solution in…
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A shepherd and dog move sheep across a field
Article

California producers: Climate change is real; we could use a little help

February 26th, 2025
By Trina Kleist
How can farmers and ranchers continue to grow our food while facing challenges of a changing climate, increasingly scarce water, land use pressures and rising costs? UC and UC ANR scientists are using surveys and interviews with people in the state's agricultural sector to learn what folks need to stay…
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Image of Black Oak acorns with description and harvesting guidelines
Article

The Principles of Indigenous Food Sovereignty

February 5th, 2025
By Kitty Oppliger
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 t...
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Workers move cardboard boxes on the back of flatbed trucks in a lettuce field
Article

Will importing workers lead to importing crops?

December 6th, 2024
A dwindling and aging agricultural workforce, coupled with higher labor costs, have added pressure on U.S. farms over the past decade. A recent study by University of California agricultural economists Alexandra Hill and James Sayre explores these changing trends in U.S.
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Students from Fullerton Joint Union High School, including Andres Martinez (right), snack on lettuce grown in hydroponics at the South Coast REC. Photo by Saoimanu Sope.
Article

South Coast REC program educates, trains future ag workforce

November 18th, 2024
By Saoimanu Sope
Renowned for pioneering research that leads to exciting new crop varieties like the Luna avocado, the University of California South Coast Research and Extension Center (REC) in Irvine is also an important hub for agricultural education.
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Students pose with their advisor next to the agricultural robot they designed
Article

Students design high-tech solutions through Farm Robotics Challenge

October 25th, 2024
By Michael Hsu
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.
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An artist's conception of Reservoir Farms
Article

Partners unveil first on-farm robotics incubators

October 23rd, 2024
The Reservoir, a nonprofit building tech incubators across California, and partners Western Growers Association, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Merced College, Hartnell College and venture capital firm HawkTower have announced the creation of the first-ever on-farm robot...
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Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program

 

EFNEP 50th Anniversary logo

As a core Community Nutrition and Health statewide program, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) provides community education classes which promote nutrition and physical activity for income-eligible youth and adults as a means of maintaining a healthy lifestyle free from chronic disease.

By focusing on improving diet quality, increasing physical activity, assuring safe food-handling practices, and strengthening food resource management skills, EFNEP supports families with children to make meaningful healthy lifestyle changes.

EFNEP also partners with community stakeholders to make changes to the surrounding community context known as “policy, system, and environmental change.” These efforts result in deeper, long-term positive impacts for even more youth and families. 

Federally Funded in 50 states

EFNEP is federally funded by the United States Department of Agriculture as part of a long-standing network of community-based nutrition education programs across the country.

In 19 Counties in California

In California, EFNEP is delivered through the University of California Cooperative Extension in 19 of California's 58 counties. 

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Personnel

Christie L Hedrick

Christie L. Hedrick
Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program Statewide Manager
CMTY EDUC MGR 1

Leslie A Lipman

Leslie Anne Lipman
Business Manager
ADMIN OFCR 4

Jan Newman

Jan Newman
Nutrition Extension Assistant
BLANK AST 3

Cassandra J Nguyen

ASST SPECIALIST COOP EXT

Carmela M Padilla

Carmela M. Padilla
Regional Manager, CFHL UCCE (Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Merced, Nevada, Placer, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne counties)
CMTY EDUC MGR 1

Amira R Resnick

Amira Ruth Resnick
Statewide Director, Community Nutrition and Health
ACADEMIC COORD III-FY

Jennifer T Smilowitz

ASST SPECIALIST COOP EXT

Rosa Vargas

Rosa Vargas
Regional Manager
CMTY EDUC MGR 1