Posts Tagged: food security

UC’s Spanish News and Information Service wesite

UC ANR’s Spanish News Service website brings Agriculture and Natural Resource information to California residents who are fluent, and more comfortable learning, in Spanish. This is a vital service for all Californians as many of the issues and challenges we face together can only be solved by all of us working together.

This highly organized, visually appealing, and easy to navigate site provides a great deal of information on many important topics. The information can be accessed by audio, video, articles, and blogs.

Topics include:

• Invasive species
• Water quality
• Nutrition and fitness
• Child development
• Preventing obesity and overweight
• Reducing the risk of diabetes
• Natural resources
• Recovering from a natural disaster
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Preventing and recovering from wildfires
• Money management
• Gardening
• And much more

A similar site is available in English.

Agroterrorisim

Our food systems can be vulnerable to attacks. Pathogens, chemicals and biological contaminates, and other hazards can affect the safety of foods we eat. These dangers can be caused by natural disasters, or may be caused by intentional contamination. Alliances among traditional first responder’s, the agricultural industry, and communities can help mitigate acts of agroterrorism.

The UC Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) in has a collection of training courses for local frontline response teams designed to strengthen their capability to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from agroterrorism or other major disasters in the food systems in their communities. Trainings cover intentional contamination and those caused by natural disasters. As with other disaster training, early and effective coordination in response can greatly improve outcomes.

Courses include:

• Understanding the Dangers of Agroterrorism
• Principles of Preparedness for Agroterrorism and Food Systems’ Disasters
• Principles of Detection and Diagnosis – Strategies and Technologies
• Principles of National Incident Management System (NIMS), Team Building and Risk Communication
• Principles of Frontline Response to Agroterrorism and Food Systems’ Disasters
• Principles of Planning and Implementing Recovery

To learn more about the training program, please contact David Goldenberg by email or by phone at 530.752.3247.

Selecting Chickens for Home Use

Along with gardening, raising poultry at home is increasing in popularity. If you are interested in raising poultry for eggs or meat production, please first check to make sure having chickens at home is legal in your area.

If the practice is allowed in your location, UC ANR’s Selecting Chickens for Home Use publication is a great place to start.

Topics include:

• Stock for egg production
• Stock for meat production
• Stock for exhibition
• Buying your chickens
• Hatching your own chicks
• Replacing your stock

Additional information can be found at the UC Davis Avian Science website.

Container Gardening and Window Boxes

Part of the USDA’s Healthy Garden Workshop Series, Container Gardening and Window Boxes provides practical information to help people successfully grow plants in containers.

Readers will learn to:

• Choose the right container
• Use the right soil
• Grow the right plant for the right season
• How to water and fertilize container plants
• Choose plants that grow well in pots
• Protect plants
• And more
  

  Many herbs, vegetables and flowers can be successfully grown in containers.

Agriculture symposium

On April 20, 2012 California State University, Channel Islands will host a symposium titled, ‘Agriculture in the Golden State: Challenges in Feeding California in the 21st Century.’

Strong and sustainable agricultural production is important to all of us, and to our future. UCCE Ventura County researchers Oleg Daugovish and Ben Faber will speak at the symposium.

From the event organizers:

"California is the nation’s top agricultural producer generating over $30 billion annually. However, the ability of growers to feed California and beyond is continually being challenged by the introductions of new insect pests, drug resistant pathogens, and environmental concerns at the urban-agricultural interface. CI sits within one of the top ten agriculturally important counties in California, which produces much of the States’ strawberries, raspberries, citrus, and avocados. Given our location, it is important that everyone learn about the issues affecting agriculture locally and statewide."

To learn more about this year's symposium, or to register please visit this page of the CSU Channel Islands website.

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