It is our pleasure to announce that one of the projects selected is "UC ANR: A Resource for Urban Agriculture." The project will be conducted by a statewide team of UC ANR staff and UC faculty, led by the following investigators: Rachel Surls (Principal Investigator), sustainable food systems advisor for LA County; Aziz Baameur (Co PI), farm advisor for Santa Clara County; Gail Feenstra (Co PI), food systems coordinator at UC Davis; Shermain Hardesty (Co PI), extension specialist at UC Davis; Cheryl Wilen (Co PI), area integrated pest management advisor. Three collaborators are also involved in the project: Ryan Galt, professor of agricultural sustainability at UC Davis; N. Claire Napawan, professor of landscape architecture at UC Davis; and Brenda Wolford, nutrition, family and consumer science advisor in Los Angeles County.

The network of researchers, who were awarded $50,000 over two years, will conduct a needs assessment related to urban agriculture in the state. Then, based on identified needs, they will develop research-based resources for the urban agriculture community, including web-based information on urban agriculture topics and policy briefs.

Very small-scale urban agriculture is increasingly playing an important role in local and community food systems. Due to the growing demand for locally produced food, small-scale farmers are growing food in community gardens, vacant lots and rooftops. In response, California cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, have changed zoning codes to support the growth of urban agriculture. This project will help UC ANR and local Cooperative Extension staff offer research-based information to guide urban farmers and inform public policies and decisions in this growing field.

Congratulations to Rachel Surls and her network of researchers!

For information about UC Cooperative Extension's gardening and horticulture programs, please visit our site.