The Vantage Point

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources 

May began with a major announcement: UC ANR was selected as one of 12 organizations across the country to launch a regional center that promotes the success of farmers, ranchers and other food businesses – while strengthening local economies and food systems. As part of a $400 million national initiative, UC ANR will receive $35 million to establish a Southwest USDA Regional Food Business Center, serving California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

Partnering with 16 organizations, UC ANR will coordinate courses, workshops and other technical assistance offerings that help food and farm businesses access new markets and navigate key resources at the federal, state and local levels. These efforts will bring vital business support services and economic opportunities to historically underinvested communities – including the Colonias communities of southern California and Arizona, which experience marginal housing conditions and infrastructure.

Improving livelihoods and growing prosperity statewide are pillars of the Ag Vision recently announced by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Earlier this month, during a Board of Food and Agriculture meeting to discuss opportunities for collaboration, I shared how UC ANR is partnering with the California State University system (and its Agricultural Research Institute) and California Community Colleges. Together, we are pioneering initiatives that expand integrated pest management activities, advance forest management and wood products manufacturing, and drive job creation and economic development in the Central Valley, to name just a few.

The crucial collaborative role of UC ANR is also highlighted by the new California North Coast Emergency Food System Partnership, which will strengthen local and regional food systems and secure residents’ access to food, even during disasters. As one partner put it, the UC serves as a “backbone” to these efforts to bolster community resilience during this era of extreme climate impacts, such as floods and wildfire.

To extend the analogy, UC ANR is not just the spine or nerve center for many community partnerships. To Californians in every county, we are also the friendly face, helping hands and heart of UC. It’s a point I emphasized during this month’s meeting with UC ANR county directors: our staff and academics – and especially our advisors based in communities all across California – are the go-to source for science and practical solutions in their cities and towns. Our experts are hired not just for their research acumen but their unique abilities to teach, network, collaborate and connect.

The impact of our people – and of our many programs and institutes – can be seen in the results of a very successful Giving Day, which ran from noon to noon, May 18-19. In total, 399 donors gave more than $80,000 to support our research and extension work in agriculture, natural resources, gardening, food preservation, health and nutrition education, youth development and more. My thanks to Emily Delk for leading this fundraising effort – and to all donors for their generosity and kind words.

Lastly, I want to thank Saoi Sope and Hardeep Singh for sharing their Samoan and Punjabi heritage, respectively, during Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month webinars for our UC ANR colleagues. Their stories and experiences are just two examples of how the tremendous diversity of our organization helps us fulfill our mission of working with all communities to improve the lives of Californians.