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The Vantage Point
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
On this first day of winter, with rain again in the forecast, wildfire should nevertheless remain on our minds in the age of extreme weather. This month more than 800 scientists, land managers and fire professionals from around the world gathered for the 10th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress. With UC ANR as a major sponsor, our Fire Network Director Lenya Quinn-Davidson served as conference co-chair for the event, which featured workshops, field trips and productive discussions on boosting fire resilience in wildlands and communities. Many thanks to Lenya and our entire team of fire and forestry experts for facilitating that information exchange.
Our ongoing research and extension efforts on wildfire are among the many highlights showcased in the UC ANR year-in-review video for 2023. I am so proud of all we have accomplished through your hard work and support!
Even as we reflect on the past year, we’re looking to the future. This month we began convening meetings across the state of our academics, staff and key partners to collect feedback on UC ANR’s 2025-2040 Strategic Vision, which will guide our work for the next 15 years. By pinpointing California’s most pressing challenges and how UC ANR can collaborate with our communities in developing science-based solutions, this vision will guide everything we do. My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this draft, which will be finalized later in 2024.
We have so much to look forward to next year. I’m excited to see the continued evolution of F3 (Farms, Food, Future), the cross-sector collaboration to spur food-systems innovation and economic growth in the San Joaquin Valley. During an “all-gears” meeting to mark F3’s first year, Helle Petersen – regional director of the Local Farm and Food Innovation initiative, an F3 component led by UC ANR – shared our progress in supporting small-scale and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) farmers and entrepreneurs, as well as driving the latest ag and food technologies.
Chief Innovation Officer and founder of The VINE Gabe Youtsey also highlighted our role in guiding and scaling leading-edge innovations by students, startups and the broader community. These advancements hold great promise for sparking economic growth and workforce development across the region. And I wholeheartedly agree with comments by U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Castillo and Central Valley Community Foundation President and CEO Ashley Swearengin – the benefits of that greater prosperity must be sustainably attained and equitably accessible, inclusive of all sectors and every segment of the workforce.
To provide crucial training and technical assistance to historically underinvested communities in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah, the Southwest Regional Food Business Center will begin to offer resources and funding opportunities in 2024. Selected by the USDA to launch one of 12 RFBCs across the country, UC ANR is partnering with a host of organizations – such as Valley Vision in Sacramento – to support food businesses and create resilient, diverse and thriving food systems. Check the center’s newly launched website for updates throughout the year.
Healthy and sustainable food systems are just one part of Helene Dillard’s legacy as she retires in 2024 as dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. In addition to serving as an extraordinary leader for UC, Helene has been a brilliant plant pathologist and Cooperative Extension specialist at Cornell University during her career. With that Extension background and her natural ability to foster collaborations across disciplines and sectors, she has been an amazing partner and advocate for our work.
I will deeply miss her warmth, wisdom and compassionate voice during our Deans’ Council meetings and other convenings, but will continue to cherish our time together for the next few months. Please join me in thanking Helene for her contributions to California agriculture and our environment – and in wishing her a most fulfilling retirement.
Finally, to our extended family of ANR staff, academics, friends and supporters: I hope the winter break brings you much relaxation and joy – and I wish you all a very happy, healthy and wonderful new year!
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