Sama Reitzes is all about building stronger communities through good food, sustainable practices and making gardening accessible to everyone. The UC Davis alum earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and environmental education last winter and continues to grow that work on campus, where she’s joined efforts to install a new ADA-accessible garden and make green spaces more inclusive for all.
Under a canopy of trees, young kids dig for worms in a compost bin on campus. Their little dirt-covered fingertips gently pluck out one they think will be speedy enough to win a “worm race.” Led by UC Davis students, this hands-on activity shows kids how worms play an important role in healthy soil and plant growth. It's just one of many fun lessons in the Kids in the Garden program.
Organic food is easy to find these days, from farmers markets to grocery stores. But organic farming covers only a small portion of California’s agricultural land. As the state pushes to make agriculture more climate-friendly, a new UC Davis-led research project is exploring why some regions are successfully shifting to sustainable practices – while others face more barriers to making the transition.
The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis is pleased to welcome Colin Dixon, who has more than 20 years of education and sustainable agriculture experience, as the the new director of the Student Farm.
Dixon, whose first job in Davis was at the Student Farm, worked as the co-design lead at Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) Science Learning in Oakland where his efforts focused on making science education more equitable.
Finding digital solutions to help bring fresh produce from the farm to the table was a viable way for many farmers to stay afloat during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is pleased to announce that Ryan Galt, professor in the Department of Human Ecology, has been appointed as faculty director for the Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI) at UC Davis.
The UC Davis Public Scholarship and Engagement Program has awarded funding to 14 new research projects, including five to faculty in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, that will address diverse issues such as climate change, the welfare of families, and cultivating a new grain crop.
A half dozen people wear orange plastic gloves and keep their distance from each other as they harvest lettuce, kale, beets and other crops at the UC Davis Student Farm. Their bounty will help feed the Davis community in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Like everyone else, we’re trying to respond as best we can in these uncertain times,” says Katharina Ullmann, Student Farm director, taking a break from the day’s harvest.
UC Davis experts help farmers, ranchers partake in growing trend
Agritourism is growing in California, along with sales and production of much of the world’s fruits, vegetables and nuts. More and more people are paying to enjoy the bounty and beauty of California’s farms and ranches by touring peach and cherry farms near Fresno, taking classes in beekeeping, attending festivals devoted to strawberries or attending a host of other activities offered by farmers and ranchers throughout the state.
UC Davis field days give industry a taste of new berries and a feel for healthy soil
The latest developments in strawberry breeding and healthy soil took center stage at two recent UC Davis Field Days, one hosted in Prunedale (near Salinas) and one held at UC Davis Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility.
In Prunedale, strawberry farmers, shippers, breeders, propagators, crop advisors and resource conservation groups gathered to get a taste of what’s developing in the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program. Many said they liked what they tasted and saw.
