Strategic Plan 2013

II. Strengths, Challenges, and Opportunities

The strategic plan is responsive to the trends, challenges, and opportunities identified through the environmental scan conducted by the planning team. The scan highlighted a number of external and internal factors that will influence UC IPM's growth and direction in the coming years, from changes in pest management needs to fiscal constraints to academic priorities to public policy developments. The scan process also identified a number of organizational success factors that can support UC IPM's ability to respond to the identified issues and challenges.

There are three parts to this section:

• Changes: Major changes in the environment since 2006.
• Strengths: Strengths of the UC IPM program.
• Challenges: Key issues and challenges in 2013.

As land-use trends in California continue to shift from agricultural to urban and as new needs arise, UC IPM must be positioned to respond to changing needs and new audiences for the ecologically based pest management approach. In addition, the plan must consider needed organizational changes and growth to meet its central mission of information development and dissemination.

Major Changes in the Environment

The environment in which UC IPM works has evolved since the 2006 plan was written. Some changes are a direct result of actions taken by UC IPM, while others are outside of its control. Important changes include:

• Revived support for pesticide safety education
• Continued loss of noncompetitive funding opportunities
• New competitive opportunities for positions and funding for innovative program development
• Increasing demand for information delivered electronically
• Programmatic restructuring within UC IPM and administrative reorganization within ANR
• Loss of all competitive grants programs UC IPM had directed during the past 30 years
• ANR's refocused programs as described in Strategic Vision
• Loss through retirement and resignation of key IPM advisors and staff

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Strengths

UC IPM continues to be a leader in providing integrated pest management practices and information that meet the needs of users. Strengths identified during the environmental scan process include:

• Providing credible, unbiased, preventive scientific research and information
• Offering relevant, long-term pest management solutions including pest thresholds, biological controls, and reduced-risk approaches
• Developing, maintaining, and packaging complex, useful information for end users, such as Pest Notes, IPM manuals, Year-round IPM Programs, Pest Management Guidelines, and weather data and models in print and Web formats
• Supporting collaboration across scientific disciplines
• Providing expertise and support for regional needs and issues
• Providing flexible, integrative, and responsive approaches that support the needs of practitioners
• Conducting research relevant to users' needs and pest issues
• Having recognized leadership in UC IPM and in ANR
• Maintaining relationships with other governmental, industry, and community groups

Key Issues and Challenges

Key issues and challenges in 2013 include:

Widespread Use

• Communicating UC IPM's vision of what integrated pest management is in relation to other pest management approaches
• Reaching and engaging new audiences, such as natural resources managers; large, diverse audiences, such as consumers; and farmers new to an agricultural production system
• Increasing adoption by growers and professional pest managers
• Reducing current reliance on pesticides
• Maintaining and growing a cadre of professional IPM practitioners

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Research and Outreach

• Developing and providing solutions for new invasive and exotic pests while maintaining the integrity of current IPM programs
• Meeting needs specific to clientele groups
• Responding to interest in low toxicity pest control options
• Defining research and outreach agenda and obtaining funding to meet current and potential pest management needs
• Serving diverse audiences in an environment where communication techniques are transitioning (e.g., social media, mobile devices, electronic instead of print publications, and Web-based instead of lecture-based instruction)
• Ensuring that IPM practices are effective, economic, and practical for end users
• Developing effective training models and information delivery systems
• Defining success and developing evaluation methods

IPM Capacity

• Maintaining IPM research capacity and influencing the focus of IPM resources throughout ANR
• Developing a succession plan for staff and advisor positions
• Compensating for the shift from applied to basic science by campus researchers
• Maintaining and facilitating information flow between researchers and practitioners
• Assessing the ability to develop new products and maintain existing ones

Statewide Leadership

• Responding to public policy drivers, such as water quality, air quality, wildlife preservation (e.g., pollinators), and public health
• Addressing trends, such as organic foods, sustainable agriculture, and certification
• Expanding UC IPM's leadership role in the IPM community
• Demonstrating the relevance of UC IPM to the needs of California

Organizational Structure

• Preserving UC IPM's presence and focus in key regions of California
• Addressing resource constraints and effectively utilizing available resources
• Providing professional development opportunities