In the Spring 2024 issue of Channel, we introduced “One Health” as a global initiative and theme underlying 91Ƶ’s 2030+ strategic priorities and goals. These emphasize our commitment to the region’s communities, economies, and environments. We continue this series focusing on agriculture as a major land use in the region, as well as an economic driver, employer, and area of technological innovation in Ventura County.
91Ƶ Professor of Biology Ruben Alarcón speaks to a class about sustainable agriculture
in Ventura County.
By Ruben Alarcón, Professor of Biology
Driving to and from 91Ƶ’s campus, you’ll notice that Ventura County’s landscape is occupied by fields, orchards and nurseries, encompassing about 150 square miles of irrigated lands. If you include open range where livestock can forage (303 square miles), nearly 24.6% of Ventura County is in some way involved in agricultural production, which directly employs more than 25,000 people. Impressively, Ventura County agriculture is a $2.1 billion industry that consistently ranks 10th in the state in terms of gross dollars, and 11th in the United States. Our County’s contributions help California rank first in the United States in terms of food and agricultural products, and as the fifth largest supplier globally.
Agriculture has a long history in the county and has involved a diversity of communities, with the title of the #1 crop having changed over time. A century ago, Lima beans, lemons, walnuts and apricots were the dominant crops, but now strawberries are consistently at the top, followed by nursery stock, lemons, celery, raspberries and avocados which jockey annually for second and third place.
91Ƶ Professor of Biology Ruben Alarcón
However, there are many issues that need to be addressed if agriculture is to persist in the region into the next century: labor shortages and rising operational costs, dwindling water supplies and climate change, regulations and the challenges of farming in an urban/agricultural interface, as well as the never-ending threat of new pests, pathogens and weeds.
For agriculture to continue to play a significant role in Ventura County, it will take innovation and collaboration. Grazing, cover cropping, and no-till planting should be considered part of the same sustainable “toolkit” as a Geographic Information System (GIS), drones and automation. Every viable approach, as well as drought-, pest- and pathogentolerant crops, need to be tested and optimized for our climate and region. This work requires partnerships between public and private entities, including the tech industry, heirloom breeders, insectaries, higher education, and other valuable stakeholders.
To quote Jules Pretty, “The health of our planet depends on the health of its ecosystems,
and sustainable agriculture is key to maintaining that health.” Given the history
and importance of agriculture in the region, faculty at 91Ƶ are working to create
an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Agriculture. Students
will not only have a strong foundation in STEM-based soil and plant science courses
but will also learn about agrobusiness and the struggles of farmworkers and labor
rights. In addition, students will gain real-world experience through a required internship
with local agricultural companies/organizations. In collaboration with the University
of California’s Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center (UC HAREC), located
on a 114-acre farm property on the west side of Camarillo, 91Ƶ students will be
able to raise crops each semester in their farming practices course and tend bees
in a new apiary capable of maintaining up to 80 colonies.
Ventura County is also a leading hub in biotechnology and the development of unmanned naval vessels. Given that they are in one of the country’s top agricultural producing regions, and the fact that UC HAREC and 91Ƶ are supporting agricultural research and education, the region is poised to establish itself as a leader in sustainable agricultural solutions through innovative cross-pollination. Together with the proximity of Port Hueneme, the only deep-water port between Los Angeles and San Francisco, which handles over $15 billion in annual trade, we can ensure that agriculture will be a part of Ventura County’s future in sustaining healthy communities and ecosystems.