California’s agricultural research institutions are growing and renewing their historic commitment to keep farming in the Golden State on the cutting edge of innovation nationally and globally.
In mid-October UC Davis, the premier agricultural research institution in the nation, announced a major new initiative to strengthen and support the school’s longstanding mission to address today’s most pressing challenge in agriculture and environmental sustainability.
The huge initiative, the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation, is the result of a $50 million gift to the University from Lynda and Stewart Resnick, founders and owners of agribusiness and food company The Wonderful Company. It’s the largest individual gift given to UC Davis in its history.
The majority portion ($40 million) of the $50 million gift will be used to build and establish the Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation in Davis, with $10 million to be used for competitive research grants through the Resnick Agricultural Innovation Research Fund, the purpose of which is to stimulate research-based innovation to address the most pressing challenges facing agriculture today, including environmental sustainability and climate change.
“Protecting and preserving our planet for the future means we must take bold steps and push the boundaries of what’s possible,” Stewart Resnick said at the mid-October press conference at the Mondavi Center for Performing Arts at UC Davis, where the initiative was announced.
“UC Davis is at the forefront of tackling climate change, developing groundbreaking technologies and solutions to reduce our carbon footprint, and creating a more sustainable agricultural system,” Resnick said at the press conference. “This gift aims to help our greatest scientific minds rise to the great challenge of our time – the sustainability of our planet for future generations.”
The new initiative also comes at a good time for farmers and agriculture in California, which is facing what’s arguably its most challenging period of time in history because of severe drought and a lack of irrigation water for farmers. Climate change does and will continue to play a major role in water-hungry California. Research and innovation are key in addressing the issue, which the Resnick Center and the Resnick Agricultural Research Innovation fund will do as part of their respective focus and missions.
UC Davis is hitting the ground fast on construction of the Resnick Center, which will be located near the plant sciences building on Hutchinson Drive in Davis. Design for the 40,000 square- foot center begins this year and is scheduled to be completed by 2026. The state-of-the-art facility will house classrooms, research and lab spaces and more.
The initiative and the Resnick Center will unite experts from across the campus community, UC Davis chancellor Gary May said at the mid-October press conference.
Research will be focused primarily in 5 areas – maximizing water and energy efficiency, identifying innovative solutions for agricultural byproducts, developing next-generation technologies, making crops more resilient and sustainable in the face of a rapidly changing climate, and expanding access to nutritious food. The focus-area emphasis is not only research-driven, but will emphasize practical application on the farm as well, which has been UC Davis’ mission since it became the University of California’s primary agricultural education and research center in the early 1900s.
UC Davis has played an important role in turning California into the most-crop-diverse (over 400 crops are grown in the state) and most-productive agricultural region in the world. The initiatives focus will be local – California – as well as national and global.
The Resnick Center and related initiative comes on the heels of another major new agricultural initiative in California, the Fresno – Merced Future of Food Coalition (F3), announced in September.
The F3 initiative, a partnership between UC Merced, Fresno State University and a number of allied organizations, farmers and food manufacturers, received $65.1 million from the Biden Administration in September to launch a new, state-of-the-art agricultural biotechnology hub that will serve and connect farmers across the Central Valley to researchers and industry. Its mission, according to UC Merced, is to “spark a new, more advanced era in agriculture-based technology in an effort to boost productivity, create jobs and build capacity for sustainability.”
Additionally, Merced College, along with 8 other community colleges in the Central Valley, are part of the initiative. Besides the $65.1 million the F3 initiative received from the Biden Administration, Merced College received a $15 million grant from the State of California in September, which is in addition to $30 million it received in 2021, as part of its participation in the coalition.
These two major initiatives coming back-to- back are very positive developments not only for California agriculture but for food and farming nationally and globally. Research leads to new knowledge, which is the ingredient for innovation. Both programs are tackling important issues and challenges that have direct applicability to farming and agribusiness.
There also are strong synergies between the two big research and innovation initiatives. There is potential here to connect academic institutions from Sacramento to Fresno with farmers and others, providing knowledge and practical solutions to them in what is the nation’s top farming region, the Central Valley.
Major challenges to agriculture, like drought, climate change and sustainability, need to be addressed in bold new ways. There’s a growing realization of this in California and these two initiatives demonstrate it.
Over the last few months I’ve seen a new spirit of positivity and innovation among individuals and organizations in food, farming and academia that these big challenges can be tackled through innovation. Innovation has been the secret sauce in making the Golden State the premier agricultural region in the world. It is essential if we are to maintain that status.
My Job Depends on Ag Magazine columnist and contributing editor Victor Martino is an agrifood industry consultant, entrepreneur and writer. One of his passions and current projects is working with farmers who want to develop their own branded food products. You can contact him at: victormartino415@gmail.com.
