Article originally written by Pamela Kan-Rice from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Agriculture is the cornerstone of livelihoods across the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where small-scale farmers’ livelihoods depend on the food they can grow, climate change has worsened the risk of drought and unpredictable weather, increasing barriers to opportunities for a better future through agriculture.

Concerns over foodborne risk from birds may not be as severe as once thought by produce farmers, according to research from the University of California, Davis, that found low instances of E. coli and Salmonellaprevalence. 

A team of researchers from University of California, Davis, has been awarded a $6.5 million grant to use 3-D modeling, artificial intelligence and crop genetics to develop a tool to improve and accelerate breeding pipelines for legumes and sorghum.

Funding for the project, known as GEMINI*, comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have identified new root traits that help grapevines resist drought.

The findings, published in the journal Annals of Botany, could speed up the development of grape rootstocks that protect vines from dry conditions, helping the grape and wine industry adapt to climate change.

Connections that UC Davis scholars built across campus and continents have led to a $298,000 National Science Foundation award to engage with Inuit fermenters in Greenland and support them in identifying the challenges and opportunities for creating a resurgence in Inuit fermented foods. Their research is part of “Navigating the New Arctic,” one of NSF's 10 Big Ideas.

Study of a rice field in Asia found that selective breeding and management decisions maintained crop yields despite climate changes, but those interventions weren’t enough to increase production to meet global demand, according to a paper from University of California, Davis.

Article originally published by UC Davis College of Letters and Sciences.

The 6 million people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in California — 15% of the population — influence many aspects of the state’s culture. Nowhere is that more apparent than in food. But while Asian cuisine plays an outsized role in California, growers face obstacles in bringing the ingredients to the table.

For the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding research on how to grow animal meat from harvested cells in a laboratory, and UC Davis will play a significant role.

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a $10 million grant to advance the field of cellular agriculture.

The Olive Center at UC Davis is teaming up with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the tribe’s Séka Hills line of agriculture products to create a blend of Olio Nuovo, the freshest type of extra virgin olive oil available.

The Olio Nuovo was produced from the first harvest of the season and bottled right after the olives were milled to make it readily available to the public.