October 2003
Science of Sustainable Agriculture series continues
Several lectures focus on competition for water and other natural resources. (photo by Jack Kelly Clark)
Economist Jeff Krautkraemer of Washington State University opened the series The Science of Sustainable Agriculture: Measuring the Immeasurable October 3 with a talk on "Natural Resource Scarcity and Sustainable Agriculture." The series continues at noon every Friday fall quarter and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 26. Lectures will be videotaped and posted within 24 hours on the SAREP Web site (http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/seminar/), which includes archives of the spring lectures.
Sustainable agriculture has stimulated public debate about where food comes from and the interplay of food production, food security, and protection of human and natural resources. University research and education plays a key role in assessing and increasing the sustainability of the food and agricultural systems, according to sponsors of the series.
"We are very honored to have this group of leading social, ecological and biological scientists to address key issues relevant to agricultural sustainability in California," said Neal Van Alfen, dean of the UCD College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies (CA&ES), a major funder of the series. "The series is meant to provide a forum for public discussion of the issues, based on the best information available."
Jenny Broome, associate director of the UC Davis-based statewide Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), said the series adds to recent discussions at UCD about sustainable agriculture.
"We were very pleased
by the success of the spring series, which drew standing-room-only crowds,"
said Broome, chair of the CA&ES subcommittee that planned the lectures with
the UCD Sustainability Indicators workgroup. "The speakers presented research
findings and ideas that are helping to define the problems and challenges of
sustainability, and help chart possible new directions for education, research
and policy."
Fall speakers will address the use of sustainability indicators at the farming
system level and the interaction of agriculture and natural resources like water,
soil, and biodiversity. Several talks will look at the roles of consumers and
citizens in the food system and how to measure "quality of life."
The final discussions will return to the university and education and outreach
efforts needed to increase the adoption of sustainable farming and food systems.
UC Davis' own William Horwarth, associate professor in the Department of Land,
Air and Water Resources, will end the series with an overview of research and
education in sustainable agriculture at UCD and offer a vision for the future.
Lectures are scheduled for Fridays from 12:10 to 1 P.M. in Room 3001 of the new Plant and Environmental Sciences (PES) building at UC Davis, and on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 26.
Fall 2003 series schedule:
October 3 Natural Resources Scarcity and Sustainable Agriculture, Jeff
Krautkraemer, professor, Department of Economics, Washington State University,
Pullman
October 10 Managing Rangelands to Conserve Biodiversity, Jill Landsberg, theme leader, Tropic Savannas Cooperative Research Centre, and adjunct associate professor, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia
October 17 Sustainable Soil Management to Help Mitigate Climate Changes: Opportunities and Limitations, Pete Smith, reader in Soils and Global Change, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom
October 24 How do we know the impact of sustainable agriculture on quality of life? Cornelia Butler Flora, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Sociology at Iowa State University, and director of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Iowa State University
October 31 Land and Water Management in Arid Regions: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, Daniel Hillel, Center for Environmental Studies, Israel, and professor emeritus of Plant, Soil and Environmental Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
November 7 Why You Should Eat Food and Other Nutritional Heresies, Joan Dye Gussow, emeritus professor of Nutrition and Education, Columbia University
November 14 Developing a Curriculum for a Sustainable Agricultural: Educating the Researchers and Farmers of the Future, Charles Francis, professor of Agronomy, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
November 21 Unfolding a Sustainable Agriculture for the 21st Century: Some Challenges for Education and Extension, Fred Kirschenmann, director, Leopold Center, Iowa State University
November 26 The Science Behind Organic and Biodynamic Farming, John Reganold, professor, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman [lecture is on Wednesday]
December 5 Past, Present, and Future of Sustainable Agriculture at UC Davis, William Horwath, associate professor, Land, Air, and Water Resources, UC Davis
An undergraduate and graduate seminar course linked to the speaker series will hold discussion sessions on Mondays after the Friday lecture at 12:10-1 PM in PES Room 2005. Undergraduate Credit: 2 units, P/NP. AMR 190 (Sec 001). CRN 92959 Graduate Credit: 1-2 units, S/U. IAD 290 (Sec 003). CRN 92962. Contact Mark Van Horn for more information at 530-752-7645 or mxvanhorn@ucdavis.edu.
Additional support for the lecture series is provided by Unilever Bestfoods Corporation, Kearney Foundation of Soil Science, UCD Department of Agronomy and Range Science, UCD Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, the UCD Center for History, Society, and Culture, and UC SAREP.
Members of the UC Davis
College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Subcommittee on Sustainable
Agriculture speaker series:
Janet C. "Jenny" Broome, associate director, SAREP (chair)
Chris van Kessel, chair and professor, Department of Agronomy & Range Science
William Horwath, associate professor, Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources
Leisa Huyck, Sustainable Agriculture Farming Systems/IA Conservation Tillage
project
Karen Klonsky, extension specialist, Department of Agricultural and Resource
Economics
Wolfgang Pitroff, assistant professor, Department of Animal Science
Kate Scow, professor, Department of Land, Air, Water Resources; director, Kearney
Foundation of Soil Science
Media Contacts:
Lyra Halprin, (530) 752-8664, lhalprin@ucdavis.edu
