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Upcoming events

Upcoming Events

Lunch & Learn Webinar – First Look: New Research and Policy Recommendations on Groundwater Management and Small Farms in California

As California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) continues to be implemented across the state, small-scale farmers are working to understand what the regulations mean for their operations and how to prepare for the future. Join us for this webinar as Ngodoo Atume (UC ANR Small Farms Network) and Catherine Van Dyke (Community Alliance with Family Farmers) present findings from their newly released report, which offers a statewide overview of how groundwater regulations are affecting small-scale agricultural producers across California’s diverse regions. The report documents key risks facing this community, examines governance and implementation dynamics, and puts forward concrete policy recommendations to support equitable SGMA implementation. For anyone interested in how California navigates the intersection of groundwater policy implementation and small-scale agricultural equity, this webinar is an opportunity to be among the first to engage with this timely new resource.

Register here

Past Events

Agroecology and Wellness

Beyond the Field Workshop (October 17, 2025 at Oxford Tract): Farmers, organizers, and researchers shared their paths into organic agriculture, agroecology and food justice during a panel discussion and a guided land walk. The panel featured Annie Edwards (USDA), Brooke Porter (Agroecology Commons), Colleen Hotchkiss (Alameda County RCD) and Shufang Tian (UC ANR)
Urban Organic Transition Workshop (April 16th 2026 3-5pm at Oxford Tract):
This event brought together three powerhouses of the local food movement to discuss the real-world hurdles and the grassroots solutions to urban organic farming that actually work. This event featured panelists: Yolanda Burrell, Pollinate Farm and Garden, Catherine de la Peña, USDA NRCS, and Lucas Hill, Agriculture Institute of Marin.

Community Engagement

BFI’s Annual Community Showcase (September 25, 2025 4-6pm at Oxford Tract):

BFI hosted a showcase to provide opportunities for community members (students, staff, faculty, alumni, community partners and supporters) to make connections in UC Berkeley’s food and farm system community and learn about campus engagement opportunities.
Changing the Menu: California’s Historic Break Up with Ultra-Processed Foods Starts in Schools, March 11, 2026 with Brian Ronholm, Beth Katz, Erin Primer, Laura Schmidt, and Moderator Helena Bottemiller Evich
Food Systems Conference: Food as Resistance (April 17th 2026, 10am-6pm): Food Instititue Graduate Council (FIGC)’s 6th annual conference at Helen Diller Anchor House invited attendees to think collectively about what it takes to nourish movements as well as people. Framed around food systems resilience and community organizing, this conference explored strategies, relationships, and practices that communities are assembling in response to ongoing crises, and how food becomes a site for building power, sustaining care, and cultivating more livable futures.

Education

From Field to Findings: Presentations by BFI Student Research Grantees (May 14, 2026): Grant recipients presented their findings from research projects supported by UC Berkeley faculty and Cooperative Extension specialists, including the Produce Rx program in Yolo County, Community Engagement with Fisheries Adaptation, Cultivating Food Sovereignty in High Mixtec Region, Algae Inoculation in Hydroponic Systems, and Habitat Gardens for Bee Pollinators
Resume, Cover Letter, & Interview Prep Night, Thursday, April 9, 2026
Food Systems Career Panel of Experts, Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Policy

Lunch & Learn Webinar – Farm Bill 2026? National Context and California Impacts (May 19 2026): This webinar featured a conversation on the future of the Farm Bill, hosted by Jeanne Merrill (BFI) and featuring Mike Lavender (National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition). In the aftermath of major cuts to SNAP in H.R. 1 that upended a decades-long farm bill coalition, the US House Agriculture committee has proposed its version of the next Farm Bill. Jeanne and Mike explored where the Farm Bill stands now, how the current process differs from past reauthorizations, what recent federal developments mean for the road ahead, and what is at stake for California agriculture.
Lunch & Learn Webinar – Dry Farming in California: Research, Practice, and Real-World Tradeoffs with panelists Dr. Yvonne Socolar (UC Berkeley Project Scientist) and Lauren Pesch (Leeds & Pesch Vineyards). This webinar explored what dry farming involves, where it works well, and tradeoffs, as well as an update on a California Department of Water Resources–funded project focused on dry farming education and water conservation in coastal wine grapes.
Lunch & Learn Webinar: Antitrust Law and Food Systems with Christopher Leslie and Doha Mekki, September 25, 2025
Christina Badaracco and Jeanne Merrill on The Farm Bill at Clio’s Books, September 29, 2025
Lunch & Learn Webinar: Shaping CA Policy on Ultra-Processed Foods with Dr. Laura Schmidt and Jessie Gouck, October 27, 2025
Lunch & Learn Webinar: CA Farm to School Grant Program Evaluation 2025 Progress Report + Policy Recommendations with Debbie Friedman and Rebecca Harnik, November 18, 2025
Lunch & Learn Webinar: Soil Carbon and Climate Solutions in Agriculture with Dr. Rebecca Ryals and Virginia Jameson, December 11, 2025
Lunch & Learn Webinar: Working during Wildfires with Zeke Guzman, Linda Gordon, Carly Hyland, February 23, 2026
Lunch & Learn Webinar: Understanding H.R. 1’s Impact on SNAP and CalFresh in California, March 18, 2o26, with Hilary Hoynes and Monica Saucedo

Upcoming events

Upcoming Events

Lunch & Learn Webinar – First Look: New Research and Policy Recommendations on Groundwater Management and Small Farms in California

Past Events

2025-2026

2024-2025

2023-24

2022-23