Human Ecology

A basic income program in Yolo County — one of the first such programs nationwide — lifted unhoused families above the California poverty line for two years. Families could, for a while, spend less time worrying about money and more time being a family, according to new University of California, Davis, research. 

The program provided a monthly stipend to 76 mostly single-parent families between 2022 and 2024, helping them gain housing, food and general wellbeing for two years. 

Packaged foods offer convenience for families and individuals, but they can be a major source of saturated fat, sodium and added sugars, which when consumed in excess contribute to chronic disease. To help people build healthier diets, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a new front-of-package nutrition label in January 2025 that would inform consumers about the presence of these nutrients.

Teens who are lonely and those who experience conflict in their home life are more likely to act aggressively toward peers or become victims themselves. These are some of the findings in a new University of California, Davis, study that creates a detailed picture of children’s social lives by identifying patterns and predictors of adolescent social health. 

For 50 years, the landscape architecture program at UC Davis has helped communities imagine better streets, bike paths, gardens, parks and public spaces. One course takes that imagination a step further, letting students design and build structures that have brought a fun energy to campus. Now, their latest project will soon find a home in the City of Davis.

A University of California, Davis research project that aims to improve maternal health for Black women, who face high rates of pregnancy-related complications, needs funding support to continue onto a vital next phase of the study.

At the end of a grocery run, shoppers in Berkeley are now more likely to face fruits and nuts than candy and soda in the checkout lane. A first-of-its-kind city ordinance that took effect in 2021 requires large grocery stores and other retailers to replace sugary drinks and sweets at checkout with healthier options like water, nuts, seeds and fruit.

For years, families in the Bay Area city of Richmond have lived with smoke and chemicals drifting from a nearby oil refinery. That kind of exposure poses serious health risks, but a new report from UC Davis shows how California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 617 is helping residents take a more active role in monitoring and reducing air pollution in their neighborhoods.

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.

Two UC Davis graduate students turned a springtime campus tradition into an unforgettable marriage proposal. On a bright and sunny April afternoon, the UC Davis Sheepmowers were grazing on top of the grassy mounds near the Silo. But one sheep stood out. It was wearing a special jacket with a very important question: “Wool ewe marry me?”

In the middle of the herd, Dylan Moore got down on one knee and asked her girlfriend, Lauren Mabe, to marry her.

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.