Recent ucsc_agroecology_rb items

Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrape Growers and Wineries Research Needs Report

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In fall 2024, we surveyed members of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (SCMWA) and the Viticultural Association of Santa Cruz Mountains (VASCM) to learn about winegrape grower and winery research needs for the Santa Cruz Mountains American Viticultural Area (AVA). The survey aimed to understand current challenges and research needs of those in the wine industry, as well as interest in partnering with UC Santa Cruz researchers. We intend to use these survey results to inform development of an organic viticulture initiative at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Grower and worker perspectives in a dynamic regulatory environment for California's strawberry industry

Sat, 6 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Grower and worker perspectives in a dynamic regulatory environment for California's strawberry industry

Impacts of the Apprenticeship Program: An Overview and Summary of the Alumni Survey

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

This brief summary provides an overview of the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture's alumni survey methods and results. The survey was administered to graduates of the six-month training program in organic farming, gardening and food systems that takes place each year at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is administered by the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems through UCSC Extension.

Can Hedgerows Attract Beneficial Insects and Improve Pest Control? A Study of Hedgerows on Central Coast Farms

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The objectives of this study, conducted from 2005 to 2007, were (1) to assess the habitat quality of different hedgerow plants for insect natural enemies and pests, (2) to track the movement of insects from hedgerows into adjacent crop fields and (3) to test the effect of hedgerows on parasitism rates of an economically important pest, the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni). This study took place at four farms with hedgerows on the Central Coast of California.

Will "We" Achieve the Millennium Development Goals with Small-Scale Coffee Growers and Their Cooperatives? A Case Study Evaluating Fair Trade and Organic Coffee Networks in Northern Nicaragua

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This research brief examines the livelihoods of small-scale coffee growing households in Nicaragua, comparing those that are selling to certified "specialty" coffee markets with those selling to conventional markets. The study uses the Millennium Development Goals as established by the United Nations in 2000 as a framework for analyzing the current status of 177 Nicaraguan households involved in small-scale coffee production. The authors conclude that, despite some recent gains in terms of coffee price increases), small-scale growers—no matter whether they sell to certified or conventional markets—are in fact losing economic ground due to declining real prices and the rising costs of sustainable production, a situation that needs to be addressed by the coffee industry, certification groups, producer organizations, and governments.

UCSC Survey Form

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Survey form used for study of food-related concerns, interests, and level of support for specific food criteria (socially just, organic, small scale, etc.) at UC Santa Cruz.

Farming the College Market: Results of a Consumer Study at UC Santa Cruz

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This research brief examines student, staff, and faculty’s food-related concerns, interests, and level of support for specific food criteria, including whether they would be willing to pay more for food produced in an organic and “socially just” manner. With increasing interest in “farm-to-college” programs designed to bring local, sustainably produced food into college cafeterias, there is a need for information on the attitudes and interest of those served by such programs.

Food Safety versus Environmental Protection on the Central California Coast: Exploring the Science Behind an Apparent Conflict

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000

This research brief explores the apparent conflict between new food safety rules designed to minimize the presence of wildlife around farm fields, and environmental protection efforts designed to decrease the impacts of pesticides, fertilizers, and sediments on the environment.

Using information from existing research, the brief examines the effectiveness of measures being used by Central Coast growers to address environmental problems. We then summarize the history of food safety issues on the Central Coast, and outline potential sources of crop contamination in the field. Finally, we discuss the ways that food safety guidelines conflict with environmental protection methods, proposing the idea that such methods could in fact be designed to reduce contamination sources and improve food safety.

Research Brief #9, Meeting Farm and Food Security Needs through Community Supported Agriculture and Farmers’ Markets in California

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

This research brief examines whether alternative food initiatives (AFIs) such as community supported agriculture (CSA) and farmers’ markets can meet the food security needs of low-income consumers. It is based on interviews with and surveys of farmers' market and CSA managers throughout California. The authors conclude that AFIs are not and cannot be substitutes for state entitlements in meeting the food security needs of low-income people.

Land Use and Phosphorus Levels in the Elkhorn Slough and Pajaro River Watersheds

Thu, 2 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

In this research brief we present data from water quality monitoring conducted between October 2000 and September 2004, to demonstrate the way that agricultural land use influences phosphorus concentrations in streams and rivers. We discuss the nature of phosphorus pollution from agriculture along the Central Coast, examine the implications of these data for agricultural regulations, and offer suggestions for reducing phosphorus losses from farmlands.

Central Coast Consumers’ Interest in Food Systems Issues: Demographic and Behavioral Associations

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

This research brief reviews the findings from multiple regression analysis of date from a consumer survey on interest in food system issues. Three topics were analyzed, 1) preferences for alternative ‘ecolabels’, 2) willingness to pay for strawberries with criteria for a living wage and safe working conditions for farmworkers, and 3) interest in education topics. Variables included in these analyses were gender, age, ethnicity, income, education, frequent sourcing of local food, and frequent purchasing of organic food. Also tested, and included where statistically significant (p < .05) in at least one model, were the following variables: households with children and level of agreement with the following statements, “I try to consider how my purchase(s) will affect the environment,” “There isn’t much that an individual consumer can do about environmental problems” and “Most people don’t care about how their food is produced.” All of these variables were dichotomous (i.e....

Participatory action research and support for community development and conservation: examples from shade coffee landscapes in Nicaragua and El Salvador

Mon, 20 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

This research brief describes the process of participatory action research using examples from work on shade coffee landscapes and community development in Nicaragua and El Salvador.

What do people want to know about their food? Measuring Central Coast consumers' interest in food systems issues

Wed, 2 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

What Do People Want to Know About Their Food? Measuring Central Coast Consumers’ Interest in Food Systems Issues reports on consumers’ interest in how their food is produced, processed, transported, and sold; and the criteria that influence their purchasing decisions.

In 2004 Phil Howard and Jan Perez conducted five focus groups and mailed a 26-question survey to 1,000 randomly selected households in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey Counties; the survey response rate was 48 percent. The study was funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant to foster sustainable agriculture on the Central Coast as part of the Center’s Central Coast Research Project.

The focus groups and survey found that the majority of consumers want more information about how their food is grown and processed, how it reaches them, or what’s involved in food marketing. They’d like to see a system of eco-labels that would provide point-of-purchase information...

What do people want to know about their food? Details of methodology

Wed, 2 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Details the methods used in collecting data for the study reported in Center Research Brief #5, "What do people want to know about their food? Measuring Central Coast consumers' interest in food systems issues"

Community Supported Agriculture on the Central Coast: The CSA Grower Experience

Tue, 24 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000

This research brief examines the experiences of growers running Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects on the central coast of California, including their motivations for starting a CSA, the economic viability of their projects, the challenges they face, and issues of equal access to their products.

Alternative Food Initiatives in California: Local Efforts Address Systemic Issues

Mon, 8 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000

This research brief examines alternative food initiatives (AFIs) in California: their history, goals, contributions, and visions of a sustainable food system. It briefly reviews the unique aspects of California's agricultural system that gave rise to the AFIs examined in the study. Based on interviews with the organizations' leaders and participants, the authors discuss the perspectives and activities of todays' AFI groups. The brief concludes with suggestions for strengthening existing alternative food initiative efforts in California.

Community Supported Agriculture on the Central Coast: The CSA Member Experience

Wed, 5 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0000

This Research Brief details the experiences of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members in the California central coast's 5-county region: who and why they joined a CSA, their connection to farmers, reasons for staying with or leaving the CSA project, and the impact of the CSA on their eating habits and on their awareness of agricultural and enviornmental issues.

Land Use and Water Quality on California's Central Coast: Nutrient Levels in Coastal Waterways

Tue, 4 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0000

This research brief reports on two years of water quality monitoring data, focusing on nitrate and phosphorus levels in the Pajaro River and Elkhorn Slough watersheds. The project was developed in collaboration with growers, government agencies, NGOs, and others working on water quality protection efforts in California's central coast region. The project's goal is to provide data to growers, reserachers, and policymakers on the impcts of various land use activities on sensitive waterways that affect the Monterey Bay.