Agricultural Experiment Station

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) at the University of California, Davis is to conduct research that encompasses the continuum of fundamental and applied research for the purpose of developing new knowledge and technologies that address specific problems of importance to the people of California. Key to this mission is a broad range of research focused on the discovery of solutions and the development of educational programs that disseminate knowledge and technology to an identified clientele. The AES mission focuses on agricultural, environmental and societal issues that are impacted by, or impact upon, the management of agricultural and natural resource systems.

Description

 TheAgricultural Experiment Station (AES) is part of a state-funded UC research program consisting of more than 750 scientists and 1,300 research projects. Scientists at UC Davis, UC Riverside and UC Berkeley are associated with the AES through the multi-campus Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Most AES faculty members also hold appointments in the instructional and research component of the University of California. Therefore, they are responsible for meeting the research and teaching needs of their departments as well as conducting mission-oriented research as required by the AES. AES faculty also are challenged with distributing research findings to appropriate audiences, and they have been extremely successful in transferring basic and applied knowledge to the public.

In CA&ES, this diverse team of scientists conducts research that addresses major issues such as maintaining an economically viable and environmentally sustainable agricultural production system, providing a safe, nutritious and affordable food supply, and preserving California's precious natural resources. A wide body of research contributes to this effort, including work on how to:

• Control animal diseases
• Develop new varieties of fruit and vegetable crops
• Conserve soil, water and other natural resources
• Develop environmentally sound policies
• Reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides when alternatives work better
• Protect the productivity of California farmers and growers
• Eliminate damaging pests such as the glassy-winged sharpshooter
• Assure the safety and health of our food supply
• Provide human and community development opportunities, and more.