The University of California Global Food Initiative “addresses one of the critical issues of our time: how to sustainably and nutritiously feed a world population expected to reach eight billion by 2025. This UC-wide initiative aligns the university’s research, extension, outreach, and operations in a sustained effort to demonstrate and develop solutions for food security, health, and sustainability. UC President Janet Napolitano, together with UC’s 10 chancellors, launched the UC Global Food Initiative in July 2014.”

The Berkeley Food Institute convenes the UC Berkeley Global Food Initiative Working Group, and leads or actively participates in the following UC Global Food Initiative-supported projects.

Experiential Learning

The Experiential Learning Working Group of the UC Global Food Initiative works to identify, increase, improve, and make more accessible experiential learning (EL) opportunities in food and agriculture systems for University of California students. The working group also identifies associated best practices to share throughout the UC, California, the US, and the world.

Directory:

EL Programs and Courses

Case Studies:

From the Ground Up: Experiential Learning in Food and Agriculture Systems at the University of California

Leveraging Research to Affect Policy

The Leveraging Research to Affect Policy Working Group of the UC Global Food Initiative provides tools and examples of success for faculty and staff to engage in policy related to food and agriculture systems.

Case Studies:

Leveraging Research for Food and Agriculture Policy: Lessons Learned from the University of California.

Trainings:

Linking Food and Agriculture Research to Policy: A University of California Workshop

Communication, Literacy, and Education for Agricultural Research (CLEAR)

CLEAR works to provide science-based, curated information on food and agriculture to a wide range of stakeholders including consumers, policy makers, and journalists through outreach activities while also providing faculty, staff, and students at UC Berkeley with opportunities to build science communication skills and engage in public discourse on social, economic, and biological aspects of food and agricultural technologies and policies.

Learn more about CLEAR here.