ICYMI: The University of California’s CalAg #GlobalFood Initiative special issue is now available. It’s a double-sized serving of the highly respected peer-reviewed journal, featuring 96-pages of research and other pieces related to UC’s Global Food Initiative (GFI). UC’s Global Food Initiative seeks to address one of the most compelling issues of our time: how to sustainably and nutritiously feed a growing world population.
Cal Ag is available online and in print. The journal is published by UC’s Agriculture and Natural Resources division (UCANR).
What’s in the Issue?
A lot of really interesting things. There’s a fine commentary about the importance of UC research to the success of California agriculture by UC President Janet Napolitano. There are also 10 research papers covering a broad range of topics that the GFI is tackling, including:
- Student food insecurity (explored by a UCLA grad student);
- The benefits of hedgerows;
- The multiple benefits of community gardens; and
- The economics of strawberry fumigation on California’s Central Coast.
The issue was guided by California Agriculture Associate Editor Lorrene Ritchie, director of the UC ANR Nutrition Policy Institute, and GFI Program Manager Gale Sheean-Remotto. A panel of seven guest editors reviewed abstracts submitted in response to a call for papers for this issue: Amy Beaudreault, UC Davis World Food Center; Gail Feenstra, UC ANR / UC Davis Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program; Clare Gupta, UC ANR / UC Davis Department of Human Ecology; Rose Hayden-Smith, UC ANR / UCOP, founding editor of the UC Food Observer; Peter Nico, LBNL Earth and Environmental Sciences; and Michael Roberts and Tiana Carriedo, UCLA School of Law Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy.
Cal Ag Executive Editor Jim Downing provides a video tour of the issue (below).
About Cal Ag
California Agriculture is an open-access peer-reviewed research journal. It has been published by UC’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources since 1946. (It’s worth a dive into Cal Ag’s digitized archives to learn more about the history of agriculture in California.) Jim Downing told me this about the publication:
“California Agriculture still has a sizable print circulation of 10,000, primarily in California — and it has a unique audience for an academic journal. Print subscribers include researchers in a variety of fields, but also many legislative and agency offices in Sacramento, local officials around the state, as well as farmers, ranchers, land managers, teachers and more.”
This is a #mustread.
Have a great week!