C ooperative Extension programs address multiple issues in many communities. University of Califorinia Master Food Preserver (UC MFP), a program from the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), is addressing the complex relationships among food safety, food insecurity, food waste, and health equity. This program is particularly relevant in California, where one out of every 10 residents experiences food insecurity,
to safely preserve food at home. To achieve these goals, we’re partnering with other Extension programs in our state to expand our reach with residents we may otherwise not be in relationship with. The Extension programs we collab- orate with most are UC Master Gardener Program, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, 4-H, and CalFresh Healthy Living, UC (a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP-Ed]). While our primary purpose is food safety, UC MFP is evolving to be more aligned with public health frameworks
community is FOOD PRESERVATION PROGRAM our jam INCREASES FOOD SECURITY, IMPROVES PUBLIC HEALTH, BUILDS CULTURAL COMPETENCY.
with an even higher rate among children (one in seven faces hunger). Through virtual and in-person workshops, partic- ipants learn about reducing food waste and about safe food storage, prepara- tion, and preservation methods such as freezing, dehydrating, canning, pickling, and fermenting. Because California is among the nation’s most racially and ethnically diverse states, the UC MFP team also is exploring ways to build relationships with communities often not represented in the MFP program. Using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) assessment (see sidebar, page 39), from the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) Framework for Health Equity, the team trains staff and volunteers to increase their cultural competency.
and goals. ECOP’s Health Equity Framework is a great starting place, helping our stakehold- ers connect more intentionally with audiences in historically underserved and low-income communities. How did the NTAE team and the Extension Foundation support your work? We took advantage of the Key Informant support. Our UC ANR structure is complex: We have local, statewide, special project teams, and ongoing program teams. Staying fresh and forward-thinking with our collab- oration skills feels essential. Karl Bradley, the Extension Foundation’s leadership specialist, helped us with team building and leadership development. In a strategic planning training session for our team, he invited us to envision the celebration we wanted to have in the near future—which helped us work backwards and
~40% of U.S. food supply ends up in landfills (USDA) 20% of edible food waste in California must be recovered by 2025 (CA law)
Amira Resnick, statewide director of Community Nutrition and Health at UC ANR, leads the team that received a New Technologies in Ag Extension (NTAE) grant for MFP. In this Q&A, she talks about how the project— one of five 2023 NTA projects related to food—is evolving and how NTAE support helped the team advance their work. How have you broadened your program’s audience and impact? We are a volunteer-driven community education program. We want to inspire all Californians to enjoy local, healthy food; reduce food waste; and increase food security by promoting culturally appropriate, research-based practices
think through the steps required to get to that celebration. Each participant had a different version of what we wanted to celebrate, which highlighted the importance of planning our work together. Julie Halverson, the foundation’s evaluation specialist, filled a gap for our team, as we didn’t have staff dedicated to program evaluation. Julie provided ideas about method- ology and helped us think through short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes. ➤
This story is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Dorina Espinoza, a leader with this NTAE project in her role as Youth, Families and Communities Advisor with UC ANR in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
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EXTENSION FOUNDATION/NTAE | 2022-2023 YEARBOOK
2022-2023 YEARBOOK | EXTENSION FOUNDATION/NTAE
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