January 1999
New director named to lead UC SAREP
The announcement was made Jan. 27 by Henry J. Vaux, Jr., associate vice president -- programs for the University's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Swezey begins his duties Feb. 1.
"I am pleased to welcome Dr. Swezey as the new director of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. He emerged as the top-rated candidate after a prolonged search for new leadership in SAREP," Vaux said. "He has an impressive record of working with a wide array of growers, scholars and county-based Cooperative Extension personnel. All of these people have given him high marks and indicate that they are looking forward to working with him as the new director of SAREP."
SAREP was established in 1987 as the first sustainable agriculture program at a U.S. land grant university. The program provides support for research and educational outreach activities that encourage California farmers, farmworkers and consumers to produce, distribute, process and consume food and fiber in ways that are economically viable, sustain natural resources and biodiversity and enhance quality of life. For the time being SAREP will continue to be located at UC Davis.
Swezey takes the reins from Robert J. Reginato, who served as SAREP's interim director since July 1998. William Liebhardt, the program's first director left SAREP in June 1998 to return to extension work in the UC Davis Department of Agronomy and Range Science.
Swezey received his A.B. and M.A. in anthropology, a B.S. in conservation and resource studies, and a Ph.D. in entomological sciences -- all at UC Berkeley. His career includes teaching and research appointments at UC Berkeley, Cornell University and UC Santa Cruz. He also served as a consulting entomologist with the Organization of American States and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Since 1994 he has worked as a specialist and then in 1996 as associate director of the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz.
Swezey is an accomplished field researcher and has developed a reputation as a consensus builder among the growers of the Central Coast's major commodities, such as apples, strawberries and artichokes. He has earned a number of academic achievements, honors and fellowships and has been awarded numerous grants to study a wide variety of sustainable farming systems. In addition to work on coastal crops, Swezey studied conversion of conventional to organic cotton farming in the San Joaquin Valley. He has authored more than two dozen articles in peer-reviewed research periodicals, including DANR's California Agriculture magazine.
"Dr. Swezey's work in the UC system -- at the Berkeley and Santa Cruz campuses and in the Central Valley, prepares him well to work in the leadership of the SAREP program," Vaux said. "He will be responsible for greater integration of sustainable agriculture research and extension efforts throughout the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and in establishing stronger ties to the agricultural community."
"Every grower in California is deeply concerned about issues of sustainability," Swezey said. "Under my leadership SAREP will develop programs that serve the great breadth and diversity found in California agriculture. Our first job is to help growers develop innovative and sustainable practices."
Media Contacts:
Lyra Halprin, (530) 752-8664, lhalprin@ucdavis.edu
