A busy fall! The Fresh Focus team said goodbye and THANK YOU to coordinator Judy Jun, welcomed a new team of Lead Student Farmers and interns, and got on with the business of increasing food access and promoting food justice and sovereignty at UC Davis. Read highlights from Fall Quarter activities and learn more about the dedicated team of Lead Student Farmers, Student Farm interns, and staff.

Campus is quieter in summer, but with two Lead Student Farmers, Fresh Focus's team kept summer students supplied with fresh produce, grown by summer students. In the impact report linked below, read highlights from the quarter, including distribution to partners in Knights Landing and Davis Night Market, and learn more about the dedicated team of Lead Student Farmers, Student Farm interns, and staff.

The Student Farm is looking for someone passionate about food justice to lead our Fresh Focus program. The Fresh Focus program supports food access and food sovereignty efforts on campus and in the community, through gleaning and program-specific production at the Student Farm, collaboration with Aggie Compass, Basic Needs, and student support centers around centers, and convening of conversation about food justice and food culture at UC Davis. 

UC Davis’ student-led program in organic farming will expand to include new crops and new partners, with the aim of exporting its educational the model to other institutions. The expansion is being funded with a $2-million grant from the Organic Research and Extension Initiative, part of the United States Department of Agriculture.

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Student Farm Lead Student Farm Rikiya Hatano was recently recognized for his scholarly promise and leadership.

Read more here, https://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/news/hatano-ryerson-ucanr, and join us in congratulating Riki!

We are hiring two Lead Student Farmers in Fresh Focus, our food access, food justice, and food sovereignty program. To apply, find the position on Handshake.

Working with UCD's talented Kelly Nishimura and the entire Student Farm community, Ecological Garden Lead Julia Schreiber has been talking to staff, students and community members to update the map that welcomes people. Sitting near the corner of Extension Center Drive and Orchard Park Drive, the current map started out beautiful and has gotten more beautiful, but less readable, with age.

Led by Emmanuel Momoh (PhD Student, Geography) and funded by an SLLC Green Fellowship, the African Food Basket project began in summer 2023. To participate in the project or learn more, contact Emmanuel by email or LinkedIn. 

In this new report we highlight findings from a survey, interviews and participant observation with direct market farmers and technical assistant providers in California. We found that online technologies were an important tool for overcoming the disruptions caused by the pandemic. However, many farmers lacked the appropriate resources to use these tools. We argue that farmers need reliable access to the internet, financial support, and training to access and benefit from online sales and marketing.

The team got summer crops in the ground, helped convene food security partners from across campus, and expanded our impact through activities like the Whole Earth Festival and harvesting fruit from Plant Sciences teaching orchards. Read highlights from Spring Quarter activities and learn more about the dedicated team of Lead Student Farmers, Student Farm interns, and staff, as well as a Partner Spotlight on the Ecological Garden.