Historians will identify the current agricultural period as the second agricultural revolution. Mechanization, hybrid seeds, synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides highlighted the first revolution starting in the 19^th century. Information management will drive 21^st century agribusiness and agricultural production. Global positioning satellites and geographic information systems are now making possible "precision farming". The Internet is making possible everything from services and supply purchasing to commodity trading and marketing. As technology continues to improve, we are likely to see more farmers managing their operations each day from their office computer, instead of from a pickup truck. Investments in applied research, industry training and continuing education will be essential and significant to the state’s agricultural industry in the following areas:

Biodiversity (Biological Diversity) Management

California’s impressive biodiversity is most readily demonstrated by the number of native species found within its borders: 750 vertebrates, 6,800 plant species, and 25,000 insect species – more than any other state in the continental United States. Almost one-third of California’s plant and fish species, and many of its natural communities, are found nowhere else on earth. California’s 20^th century agricultural and explosive urban population growth together with the state’s desire to preserve and restore natural communities have inherently placed these competing interest groups in conflict. Applied research offers the best opportunity for development of a sustainable ecosystem. Applied research in the following areas is relevant to agricultural sustainability:

Biotechnology (Plant and Animal)

The world’s population will double by the year 2030, while its arable land will rapidly be depleted. California’s expanding urban growth has consistently reduced available quality agricultural land and competes with food production for the state’s limited developed natural resources. If California agriculture is to provide food and fiber for the state’s burgeoning population as well as for a positive agricultural export balance of trade, new technologies to develop more, better and cheaper foods and agricultural products are essential. Applied agricultural biotechnology is the new laboratory proving ground for advanced sustainable agricultural systems. Additionally, one of the CSU’s greatest challenges is to facilitate the preparation of a well-trained technical and management workforce and continuing educational environment. CSU/ARI-industry co-funded applied agricultural biotechnology research in the following areas is of significant relevance to the state’s agricultural mission:

Food Processing, Safety, Nutrition, and New Product Development

Agriculture’s need to produce more, better and cheaper foods and agricultural products; the public’s emphasis on convenience; and industry’s increased awareness of safety issues are now driving the industry’s product development, processing practices, and marketing strategies. Vertical integration will be 21^st century agriculture’s milestone. According to the Food Marketing Institute, an average grocery store now contains more than 26,000 items, and more than 10,000 new products are needed each year to keep the shelves filled. Food safety and the "eating-on-the-go" convenience of meals and snacks have become hallmark concerns of the food shopper. Recent possible pathogen outbreaks and environmental abuses have caused consumers and regulatory agencies to scrutinize the "front end" of the production chain more closely. According to a recent Food Marketing Institute study, 39% of food shoppers believe food processors and manufacturers are the origin of food safety problems. CSU/ARI-industry co-funded applied food product development, processing, packaging, and nutrition research is necessary to further advance industry development and the CSU’s educational mission in the following areas:

Irrigation Management and Technology

Demands upon California’s water resources and its aging conveyance infrastructures will only increase as we approach the year 2020. California faces a continuing challenge to balance its finite water supplies against the needs of agriculture, the environment, and a growing population, and to make timely deliveries from watersheds to diversion points. In large part because of California’s limited developed surface water supply and its extensively over drafted groundwater basins, agricultural and urban water districts and their users are required to implement water efficiency technologies and conservation practices. The CSU colleges of agriculture have been instrumental in the development, testing and evaluation of urban and agricultural irrigation equipment and systems for both public agencies and private business. Additionally, they have provided consumer and industry training courses, continuing irrigation scheduling tutorials. CSU/ARI matching funds will provide for new and expanded irrigation industry partnership and facilitate applied research in the following and other emerging irrigation disciplines:

Natural Resource Management

California’s historical abundance of high quality natural resources has provided for its sustained population growth and agricultural development; however, preserving the delicate balance of biological resources appears to be the most problematic and vital aspect of managing its natural resources. California is unusually rich in minerals, timber, fertile soil and watershed. Its rich alluvial soils, especially in the Central Valley, and upland soils on mountain slopes provide some of the best farmland, forests, grazing land and watershed in the western United States. Competition for and conservation of these and other renewable and nonrenewable resources, has intensified with rapid state growth and development. Competing urban, agricultural and environmental interests have feuded for decades over ownership, allocation, and utilization of the state’s natural resources. The CSU colleges of agriculture have a collective wealth of shared knowledge, experience and access to natural resources from which to build successful applied research projects and programs to investigate and develop conservation and restoration techniques and technologies, compatible multiple use systems, and environmental best management practices. CSU/ARI match funding will facilitate new and expanded research partnerships with all the competing stakeholders in the following areas:

Production Management Systems and Cultural Practices

With the arguable exception of financing, high quality and quantity output remains the backbone of any production agricultural system. Exponential advances in increasing both were achieved during the 20^th century, in large part due to the development of hybrid seeds, synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides. While continued increases in quality and production are anticipated during the 21^st century, they will most likely result from the application of precision information systems (GPS, GIS, etc.), biotechnology developments, new production systems, and improved electronic production monitoring and management practices. Applied high tech production research and technology transfer in layman’s terminology and industry continuing education is more important now than at any time in history. The CSU agricultural colleges are positioned to provide these new and expanded services. CSU/ARI match funding will facilitate new and expanded research partnerships with the dairy, poultry, swine, grape, vegetable, cotton, tomato, rice, tree fruit and nut, beef cattle, and sheep industries in the following production areas:

Public Policy Development

California’s future prosperity dictates that hard and extremely controversial policy choices about emerging technologies and utilization of the state’s natural resources must be made. The CSU colleges of agriculture, together with their related applied research institutions, are well positioned to serve as non-partisan scientifically based resources for policy makers. Choices regarding land use, water cost and allocation, air quality standards, environmental protection and restoration, and agricultural and municipal waste management will weigh heavily on agriculture’s future profitability, competitiveness, and sustainability. In 1992, the Council on California Competitiveness identified agriculture, manufacturing, and biotechnology as three of the state’s most critical industries. The Council concluded and recommended that in order to stimulate state economic development, California needed to support its key industries by investing in higher education, research, infrastructure, and advanced communication networks. It encouraged the state to invest in university research in those technologies where applications for industry and manufacturing would be significant. It further encouraged the state to invest in research partnerships by establishing state matching funding for research and development activities. The CSU/ARI/industry co-funding will advance the Council’s recommendations, build upon current CSU successful university-industry research investments, and provide match funding for high priority requests in the following areas: