2022 was a year of rejuvenation and growth for integrated pest management in California generally and UC IPM specifically. More people in leadership roles in the state recognized the value of integrated pest management to protect human health, natural resources, and agricultural production and invested in IPM.
The state allocated another $5 million in one-time funds to California Department of Food and Agriculture for IPM projects at UC IPM and California State University Agricultural Research Initiative. These funds will help us convert our information into a format that is more useful for small farms and help us develop extension resources on alternatives to soil fumigants.
Keeping invasive species out of California is fundamental to continuing our successful IPM programs for endemic pests. To aid in preventing invasion, UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Farm Advisor David Haviland and UCCE Weed Ecology & Cropping Systems Advisor Thomas Getts were appointed to the California Invasive Species Advisory Committee. The committee advises the Invasive Species Council of California, which is composed of high-level leadership at a wide range of state agencies: the Secretaries of California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Natural Resources Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency, California State Transportation Agency, California Health and Human Services Agency, and Office of Emergency Services.
Six IPM advisor positions were funded by the increased allocation to UC ANR from the state in 2021. This will increase the number of area IPM advisors to 14 and greatly enhance our capacity to address high-priority pest management needs.
The 33-member Sustainable Pest Management Workgroup—convened by Department of Pesticide Regulation, California Department of Food and Agriculture, and California Environmental Protection Agency—completed its report titled ‘Accelerating Sustainable Pest Management: A Roadmap for California.’ The report calls for increased research and technical assistance to minimize reliance on the most toxic pesticides. UC IPM and our collaborators in UC Cooperative Extension and the UC campuses are well positioned to provide the research and extension education necessary to meet this State of California goal.
In closing, I note the continued amazing work by UC IPM academics and staff to help achieve the UC ANR goal of improving the lives of all Californians. Their work and the awards recognizing the excellence of their work are described in this annual report.