By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross

Located in the southeast of Spain, the Murcia region is a key production area for not only the country but also the European Union, which relies on the region’s fresh fruits and vegetables. As a major exporter, Murcia’s diversity of citrus, tree fruit and table grapes resembles those in the the San Joaquin Valley, and the leafy greens and vegetable crops are very similar to Salinas and Imperial, with one exception — the amount of acreage in covered systems for crop intensification to extend productivity to meet market demand. 

Similarities in climate and production are not the only connections that California and Murcia share — the Center for Produce Safety at UC Davis is actively working with CEBAS-CSIC, a research institute at the University of Murcia, on food safety issues associated with water-use and post-harvest handling of leafy greens and fresh produce. Dr. Ana Allende at CEBAS-SIC and her research team are important partners in helping to address key challenges within the fresh produce industry.

Some of the work being conducted here includes cultivar selection for automated harvest, water re-use on leafy greens, and post-harvest handling optimizations for fresh produce. CEBAS-CSIC has an objective to study climate change impacts on natural resources to promote efficient use and further collaboration.

While in Murcia, we had the opportunity to engage with AgritechMurcia, an ecosystem of ag tech companies, that is working to empower farmers for positive change on climate challenges and overall sustainability. We viewed presentations by a number of the organization’s members highlighting fertigation systems and smart metering (water-use efficiency) as well as pheromone IPM, and biologicals (nature-based solutions), and greenhouse systems. Similar to the work of UC ANR’s The Vine, AgritechMurcia is connecting ag tech companies with growers to find on-farm solutions to shared challenges.

Our trip continues to underscore the common climate challenges shared by California and Spain and the need to find solutions through research, collaboration and innovation. Continuing themes in our discussions have included water-use efficiency spurred by lack of supply, biologicals to expand sustainability, and precision agriculture to improve resilience and profitability.

California agriculture faces very similar challenges as the Murcia region. This trip underscores how research, collaboration and grower leadership in both countries can find solutions and provide opportunities to meet nutrition security needs in a changing climate. 

This video shows the results of work done by AgritechMurcia.

Secretary Ross is in Spain leading a Climate Smart Agriculture Policy Mission to València, Murcia and Almería. The purpose of the trip is further collaboration between specialty crop farmers, academia, and policy makers on science-based tools and innovations addressing climate change.

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and a delegation of California agricultural representatives are in Spain this week to exchange information about climate smart agriculture. 

“Spain is one of the leading specialty crop producers in Europe,” said Secretary Ross. “The climate challenges we face are very similar, and working together we have opportunities to enhance resources and science-based tools that growers can use to improve climate resilience.”

Discussions in Valencia, Spain have focused on plant genetics, alternatives for pest management including biological controls, and technology to enhance grower sustainability and productivity.

At IVIA, a leading agri-food research center, the delegation engaged with researchers focusing on scientific research and technology development in citrus production.  The institute’s GO CITRUS project has mapped the genome for citrus, providing critical information to inform plant breeding to develop varieties that are adaptable to changing climate conditions. 

Following the visit to IVIA, the group traveled to the Cajamar Foundation, a leading agricultural financial institution, to see an experimental farm that provides knowledge-transfer to farmers and conducts research to help inform grower productivity. On-farm practices at the site included soil health (hedgerows) and deficit irrigation.  An interesting product trial at the farm was greenhouse production of mission figs to extend harvest time and productivity — adding value opportunities for small-scale producers.

Another meeting included a discussion and facility visit at Anecoop, Spain’s leading agricultural cooperative representing more than 5 percent of Spain’s citrus, fruit, wine and vegetable exports. Anecoop’s priorities are on developing new varieties (flavor/climate), more value to farmers, and digital system innovation to improve logistics and data sharing among grower members.

At SEIPASA, a company which focuses on natural technology (biofungicides, biopesticides and biostimulants), discussions centered on opportunities to further approval pathways of biologicals to meet grower needs for sustainable pest management. SEIPASA participated in the Salinas Biological Summit in California earlier this year and is a strong global partner in helping to develop the biologicals sector.

While in Spain, the delegation will also visit Murcia and Almeria — developing connections to further climate action and engagement in the specialty crop sector.

Today (October 9) is Indigenous Peoples Day, a time to celebrate and honor indigenous peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures. In this video, CDFA profiles Three Sisters Gardens, an urban farm in West Sacramento led by Alfred Melbourne. The garden incorporates sustainable Native American farming practices and works to bring the local community together to grow food.

National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15) continued this week with CDFA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee hosting a panel of Hispanic leaders working at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. CDFA Undersecretary Christine Birdsong moderated the panel, which included CDFA Marketing Services Director Kathy Diaz-Cretu and two veterinarians with CDFA’s Animal Health Branch, Dr. Everardo Mendes and Dr. Ricardo Gaitan.

They shared stories about their unique paths to CDFA from families originally from Ecuador, Brazil and Mexico, and they spoke about how their public service includes protecting and preserving the varied cultures and backgrounds of California licensees and consumers through their work. They recounted fulfilling assignments like emergency response at California’s fairgrounds, and the inspection of custom slaughterhouses that serve the state’s diverse population by observing and safeguarding religious and cultural practices relating to the preparation of meat and other animal products.

CDFA urges statewide partners to celebrate October as National Farm to School Month and is inviting them to attend the 2023 California Farm to School Conference on October 24-25 in Palm Springs. CDFA, in partnership with the office of California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the Alice Waters Institute, will host the conference.

California’s farm-to-school leadership includes awarding $34 million to 120 projects over the past two years through the Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, and the conference is an opportunity to learn more about those projects, brainstorm good ideas, and continue to plan outreach to young people that encourages them to foster lifelong relationships with nutritious produce.

Day one of the conference will feature a shared meal, farm tours, and facilitated innovation sessions for sharing best practices. Day two will feature education sessions and a farmers’ market lunch with California produce.

This year’s event is open to school nutrition leaders, educators, farmers, and farm to school support organizations. Space is limited and spots will fill quickly, so please register soon! Scholarships are available. Click here for more details.

National Farm to School Month is a chance for thousands of schools, farms, communities, and organizations across the country to celebrate food education, school gardens, and lunch trays filled with healthy, local ingredients.

CDFA joins the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in recognizing today as the fourth observance of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste.

According to the FAO, 13 percent of the world’s food is lost in the supply chain and an additional 17 percent of food is wasted in households, food services and retail. This day is intended to make a call to action for public and private entities to reduce food loss and waste, which can play a key role by increasing the availability of food worldwide.

CDFA’s commitment to helping Californians reduce food loss and waste includes the CDFA Commercial Feed Regulatory Program, promoting human food byproduct diversion to create animal feed; the CDFA Rendering Program, promoting the process of breaking down animal byproducts for industrial uses; the CDFA Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation, promoting composting through the Alternative Manure Management Program and the Healthy Soils Program; and the CDFA Office of Farm to Fork, which is committed to increasing food access points.

Visit the FAO website for additional resources and publications about the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste.

Check out this video that shows how CDFA is involved in food recovery and how all Californians can join the effort:

(*Figures mentioned in this video may have changed since the video was created in 2020. Please reference the cited sources for accuracy.)

CDFA undersecretary Christine Birdsong and deputy secretary Rachael O’Brien this week joined Assembly speaker Robert Rivas, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, Cal-EPA secretary Yana Garcia, and Department of Pesticide Regulation director Julie Henderson on a tour of farms along California’s central coast. The objective was to to learn more about sustainable pest management and the collaborative work needed to support safe, effective and sustainable pest management in agriculture.

The tour was also an opportunity to discuss California’s Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap, a plan that utilizes the principles of integrated pest management (IPM) as well as community and equity to achieve sustainability through a whole-farm approach.

At one of the stops, Taylor Farms, the group learned about on-farm IPM practices that include the rearing of beneficial insects to control invasive species, a biocontrol approach CDFA utilizes widely in statewide programs.