- (Public Value) UCANR: Promoting healthy people and communities
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
Modifying Farm Bill could reduce barriers to SNAP for students and improve nutrition
Inadequate access to food can harm college students' health and academic performance. A recent University of California research study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior investigated why UC students who are eligible for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – the nation's largest food assistance program – do not receive the benefit.
“Based on our study findings, eliminating the extra requirements for college students to qualify for SNAP would go a long way in ensuring that more eligible students get the support they need to meet their basic food needs,” said study coauthor Lorrene Ritchie, director of the UC Nutrition Policy Institute, which is part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
A 2015 study by NPI found four in 10 UC students didn't have enough money to buy sufficient food for a healthy lifestyle. To promote better health, UC has taken steps to ensure students are aware of SNAP, established campus food pantries and other basic needs resources.
"In California, SNAP is known as CalFresh and despite policies and communication to improve college students' access to CalFresh, participation remains low, with approximately 78% of those eligible not receiving benefits," said lead study author Suzanna M. Martinez, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UC San Francisco.
For insight on why low-income UC students aren't receiving the benefits, Martinez, Ritchie and colleagues at UC San Francisco and Nutrition Policy Institute consulted county agencies that process student CalFresh applications. The researchers interviewed county staff in nine counties that are home to UC campuses: Alameda, Los Angeles, Merced, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Yolo.
While CalFresh benefits have mainly been paid by the federal government through the Farm Bill, counties contribute and county agencies are responsible for implementing policies, determining eligibility, processing applications and distributing funds.
“With the Farm Bill still up for reauthorization, these findings could provide insight into how to strengthen SNAP policy related to eligible students,” Martinez said.
The researchers conducted focus groups and interviews with county staff to determine how agency workers interpret the complex criteria for students to meet CalFresh eligibility.
Their questions focused on how students' applications differed from those of community members, steps taken when processing student applications, student-specific training and suggested improvements to the process.
Five central themes were identified in the interviews:
- More consistent policy dissemination and program administration is needed
- Student exemptions and the application process are perceived as challenges for students
- Key supports for successful student applications include carefully reviewing applications for potential exemptions, providing useful resources to students, and campus partnerships
- Tracking policy changes is burdensome
- Eliminating student rules and treating students as regular clients would be more equitable
The researchers found that CalFresh rules are challenging for students as well as the county agency staff.
Also, eligibility requirements, written over 50 years ago, are based on the assumption that college students are supported by middle-class families.
The research supports simplifying the student CalFresh process to increase participation for eligible students, especially for historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and low-income students for whom equitable access to CalFresh benefits is critical.
“Once students get confused or don't know what they need to do, they don't follow through with their application,” one CalFresh eligibility worker told the researchers.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, some federal and state requirements were waived or relaxed for students.
“The timing of this study resulted in a natural experiment since COVID-19-related SNAP modifications streamlined the student application process and reduced administrative burden,” Martinez noted. “These modifications alleviated some challenges discussed by county workers, confirming existing opinions to eliminate the student rules.”
Ritchie said, “We hope our research informs policy to remove some of the barriers so students no longer have as much difficulty getting the food they need.”
This study was funded by the California State Legislature, which provided funding to the University of California to address students' basic needs (UC Basic Needs Initiative).
/h3>- Author: Anne Schellman
Beetles are the most plentiful of all insects on the planet, so it's understandable to get a few of them confused. Let's compare photos and other details about each of these beetles, and also mention the green June beetle, a beetle that is commonly mistaken for the Japanese beetle.
Japanese Beetles
Japanese beetles do not have an established population in California. The California Department of Food and Agriculture* (CDFA) maintains traps for detecting this pest throughout the state. When Japanese beetles are found in California, they are targeted for eradication (complete elimination). Read more about this invasive species on the UC IPM website at https://ipm.ucanr.edu/Invasive-and-Exotic-Pests/Japanese-Beetle/
Green Fruit Beetles
Green fruit beetles are a dull green color and much larger than Japanese beetles. You may notice them in late spring and summer as they zoom around your garden. Fortunately, they are rarely a pest. https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/PESTS/grfruitbeetle.html
Rose Chafer Beetles
The rose chafer beetle resembles the hoplia beetle, however, this pest is not found in California. You can read more about these beetles on this informational page from University of Minnesota https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/rose-chafers
Hoplia Beetles
Hoplia beetles are small, brown, and their undersides look like they've been dusted in gold. If you hold one in your hand, they will “play dead” and not move, making it easy to examine them.
You can read more details about managing hoplia beetles in the UC IPM Pest Notes: Hoplia Beetles.
*it's important that we help prevent invasive pests from taking hold in our communities and threatening agricultural crops. You can help by saying "yes" when trappers from the Agricultural Commissioner's Office ask if they can place traps in your landscape tree.
Anne Schellman is the Coordinator for the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program.
This article was originally published on May 8, 2023.
/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Ricardo A. Vela
UC ANR volunteers are estimated to make about 2 million public contacts annually (data prior to COVID-19) through activities where they promote research-based information from UC ANR experts.
Since 2018, one of UC ANR's goals has been for academics to develop and manage projects that allow volunteers to lead, with the intention of strengthening volunteer engagement.
Miner emphasized that the search for volunteers is continuous. However, due to the diversity of UC ANR's state programs and the strategic locations of UC Cooperative Extension, attracting the right people is not a difficult task.
But who are the right people to volunteer at UC ANR?
The ideal candidate is any adult willing to contribute to improve the lives of Californians. "Collaborating with UC ANR is a lot of fun and rewarding, as you have the opportunity to return to the community what it has given us and often help families who desperately need some support," said Miner.
Volunteering challenges
As the population in California moves from rural to urban areas, low-income families face disadvantaged situations. As a result, 6.8 million people live below the poverty level. This represents 1 in 6 California residents.
Latinos are one ethnic group hit harder by this problem. In California, 40% of the population is of Latino origin, yet the economic and social disparity is a sad reality for many of these families. Latinos comprise 51.4% of the population living
below the poverty level, which is why UC ANR maintains as one of its objectives to help these families through the available programs. To successfully achieve this objective, it is vital to have volunteers who are not only bilingual but also bicultural.
Juan Jiménez and his wife Michele are two of thousands of volunteers who collaborate with UC ANR. Both participate in the 4-H youth development program in Riverside County. They know the importance of being bilingual and bicultural. They also know firsthand the reward of volunteering. "Volunteering makes me feel human and that I'm contributing to the community and my family," Juan said.
For Michele, volunteering for the community she lives in is natural. “Since I was a child, I have been a volunteer; my parents instilled in me the service to our community, our church,” she said. “To me, it is a very normal and satisfying thing.”
Every year in April, not-for-profit organizations everywhere in the country celebrate and recognize the work of those tireless people who dedicate their free time to the benefit of others. UC ANR joins them, and from the bottom of our hearts, we say:
Thank you, Volunteers!
- Author: Ricardo A. Vela
Me refiero a los voluntarios, hombres, mujeres, jóvenes y adultos que, en busca de la recompensa más gratificante, ayudar al prójimo, se involucran en las organizaciones que promueven los valores en los que creen.
De acuerdo con el reporte anual más reciente de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de California (UC ANR, por sus siglas en inglés). En el año 2022 los voluntarios donaron a UC ANR 1,170 mil 098 horas de trabajo, lo cual representa 41 millones 608 mil 685 dólares en donaciones monetarias.
De acuerdo con Gemma M. Miner, coordinadora de voluntarios UC ANR esta institución cuenta con más de 19 mil voluntarios quienes desempeñan una variedad de actividades dentro de los programas de 4-H, Maestros Jardineros, Maestros Conservadores de Alimentos, y California Naturalistas entre otros. Los voluntarios realizan una gran variedad de actividades como educar, asesorar y fungir como representantes de su programa y de UC ANR en eventos públicos.
Se calcula que estos voluntarios acumulan cerca de dos millones de contactos públicos anualmente (datos antes de COVID-19) en actividades donde promueven la información basada en las investigaciones de los expertos de UC ANR.
Uno de los objetivos de UC ANR desde el 2018 es que los académicos desarrollen y administren sistemas que permitan que los voluntarios lideren proyectos, y que de esta manera se fortalezca su compromiso con UC ANR y sus principios de comunidad.
Miner, asegura que la búsqueda de voluntarios es continua, sin embargo, debido a la diversidad de los programas estatales de UC ANR y las ubicaciones estratégicas de las Extensiones Cooperativas atraer a las personas indicadas no es una tarea difícil.
¿Quiénes son las personas indicadas para ser voluntarios en UC ANR?
De acuerdo con Miner, el candidato ideal es cualquier persona dispuesta a contribuir con su granito de arena para mejorar las vidas de los californianos. “Colaborar con UC ANR es muy divertido y gratificante, ya que se tiene la oportunidad de regresar a la comunidad lo que esta nos ha dado y en muchas ocasiones ayudar a las familias que necesitan desesperadamente que las apoyen,” dijo Miner.
Los Retos del Voluntariado
Conforme la población en California se desplaza de las zonas rurales a la mancha urbana, familias de escasos recursos y en situaciones de desventaja requieren más apoyo para salir adelante. Desafortunadamente como resultado de ello 5 millones de personas viven por debajo del nivel de pobreza, es decir 1 de cada 6 residentes en California. Los latinos son el grupo étnico más golpeado por este problema.
En California el 40% de la población es de origen latino, sin embargo, la disparidad económica y social es el pan de cada día para muchas de estas familias ya que los latinos son el 51.4% de la población que vive bajo el nivel de pobreza. Razón por la cual UC ANR mantiene como uno de sus objetivos principales ayudar a estas familias a través de los programas como CalFresh y el Programa Ampliado de Educación Alimentaria y Nutricional (EFNEP por sus siglas en inglés). De igual forma UC ANR se preocupa del futuro y cuenta con voluntarios para el programa 4-H y el desarrollo juvenil, para ello es vital contar con candidatos para voluntarios que sean bilingües y biculturales.
Juan Jiménez y su esposa Michele son dos de los miles de voluntarios que colaboran con UC ANR, ambos participan con el programa de desarrollo juvenil 4-H en el condado de Riverside y conocen la importancia de ser bilingües y la recompensa de ser voluntarios. “Ser voluntario me hace sentir humano y que estoy contribuyendo con la comunidad y con mi familia,” asegura Juan.
Mientras que, para Michele, servir a la comunidad en la que vive es algo natural. “Desde pequeña he sido voluntaria, mis padres me inculcaron el servicio a nuestra comunidad, a nuestra iglesia, para mi es algo muy normal y satisfactorio”.
En abril se celebra y reconoce la labor de los voluntarios, esas personas incansables que dedican su tiempo libre para el beneficio de otros.
Ante la gran labor que hacen en UC ANR les decimos humildemente a todos ellos
¡Muchas gracias!
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
While preparing your garden for planting this spring, you may have found white grubs in the soil. Discovering these fairly large, white grubs can be alarming, but they usually won't cause significant plant damage.
Grubs are the soil-dwelling larvae of beetles in the Scarabaeidae family, also simply called scarabs. They are generally curled in a C-shape with whitish bodies and 6 legs. Grubs of some species may be less than 0.5 inch long, while other species may be up to 2 inches. Some grubs feed on living plant material while others do not.
Masked chafer beetle grubs are often what people find in garden beds in California. If you find large grubs in compost, those are likely the larvae of the green fruit beetle (also commonly called figeater beetle and green fig beetle). Japanese beetles are not usually present in California, but there are a few small hot spots under eradication efforts by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
In most cases, the presence of grubs does not require pesticide treatment and populations of 6 or less per square foot won't cause significant damage. If you notice them in your garden beds, they can be hand-picked and killed. Some may choose to feed them to their backyard chickens or leave them out for wild birds. Beneficial nematodes can be applied to control grub infestations.
To learn more about common white grubs, visit https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=56797