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A $250,000 U.S. Department of
Agriculture grant will boost organic agricultural research and education
at California State University, Fresno beyond a greenhouse and a small
plot for vegetables certified earlier this year.
The student-operated Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market at Barstow and
Chestnut avenues sells student-produced organic vegetables and
greenhouse-grown organic herb and vegetable seedlings for use by home
gardeners.
The three-year award is from the USDA’s Hispanic-Serving Institution
Education Grant Program. It will establish Fresno State’s organic
farming initiative under the Sustainable Agroecosystems and Efficient
Resource Management program housed within the College of Agricultural
Sciences and Technology.
Dr. Sajeemas Pasakdee, soil scientist/agronomist in the California
Agricultural Technology Institute at Fresno State, and Dr. Ganesan
Srinivasan, director of the university’s farm operations, will be the
principal investigators for the grant. Pasakdee has expertise and
training in sustainable agriculture and organic farming, while
Srinivasan has extensive experience in international agriculture and
sustainable farming systems in the developing world.
“This grant is most timely and will help us expand our capacity to do
research and train students in organic farming and sustainable
agriculture,” said Pasakdee. In addition to teaching and research at
Fresno State, she is an environmental representative on the California
Department of Food and Agriculture Organic Product Advisory Committee.
Srinivasan said the project helps fulfill “Fresno State’s commitment to
promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices in
its campus farm."
U.S sales of organic food and beverages grew from $1 billion in 1990 to
over $20 billion in 2007, with double-digit annual growth projected for
the next decade. California leads the nation with more than 500,000
acres certified for organic production.
Fresno State’s organic agricultural program has been in the planning
stages since 2004. In February, California Certified Organic Farmers
certification was received for the greenhouse under the supervision of
Calliope Correia, university Horticulture Enterprise manager, and Dr.
John Bushoven, a plant science professor.
“This provides us with a year-round production facility for organic
seedlings of various herbs and vegetables that we sell at the Gibson
Farm Market and plant on our farm,” Srinivasan said. “This summer, we
had limited production of organic bell peppers, green beans and zucchini
that were sold in the market.”
Organic crop production plans include additional acreage adjacent to
Campus Pointe, a mixed-used development being constructed on Chestnut
Avenue, Srinivasan said. He explained that before farmland can be
certified for organic production, there must be a minimum three-year
transition when no chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers are
applied.
In 2004, Dr. James Farrar and Dr. Dave Goorahoo, of Fresno State’s
Department of Plant Science, initiated a .8 acre plot for organic
vegetable production, where recent plant science graduate student
Namratha Reddy conducted thesis research. The land recently was
certified for organic production.
USDA’s competitive grants program helps Hispanic-serving institutions
such as Fresno State to conduct higher-education programs in food and
agricultural sciences, Pasakdee said. The aim is to attract outstanding
students and train them to enhance the nation's food and agricultural
scientific and professional work force upon graduation.
In addition to the organic agriculture initiative, Pasakdee is
conducting a research project, “Developing Best Management Practices for
the Application of Food Processing By-products on California Farmlands.”
For more information about the organic initiative, contact Pasakdee at
spasakdee@csufresno.edu.
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