On March 25th at the UC Davis Conference Center, the California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) will award three individuals for their leadership in the field of agriculture and climate change. Awards are given to experts in three areas: Policy; Science; and Farming or Ranching.

The 2015 winners to be recognized on March 25th are:

 

Craig McNamara — Craig is the owner of Sierra Orchards in Winters, the founder of the Center for Land-Based Learning (where the next generation of farmers are trained) and President of the State Board of Food and Agriculture. Craig employs climate-friendly practices on his farm and is actively involved in education and policy development on sustainable and environmental stewardship. 

 

 

Senator Lois Wolk — Senator Wolk represents California’s Third State Senate District, which includes Napa and Solano, most of Yolo, and parts of Sonoma, Contra Costa and Sacramento Counties. Over more than a decade of service in the state legislature, she has led on many issues related to climate change and agriculture policy, including bills to remove barriers to on-farm renewable energy production, protect farmland, and address water scarcity and water management challenges. She is the author of this year’s SB 367, the Agriculture Climate Benefits Act, sponsored by CalCAN.

 

Dr. Stephen Wheeler — Dr. Wheeler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Ecology at UC Davis and is associated with the UC Davis Center for Regional Change. Stephen and his colleagues published pioneering research on the climate change adaptation and mitigation benefits of agricultural land preservation in Yolo County, finding that urban development is responsible for 70 times higher greenhouse gas emissions per acre than farmland in that county, and that a very compact urban growth scenario could reduce 2050 greenhouse gas emissions from new development in the county by 50% as well as save farmland. 

 

Previous award winners include: Former California Secretary of Food and Agriculture Rich Rominger; former Assembly Speaker John Pérez; UC Davis Professors Louise Jackson and Valerie Eviner; farmers Russ Lester and Jenny Lester-Moffitt (who was recently appointed Deputy Secretary at the California Department of Food and Agriculture).

The full Summit Agenda is available at: https://calclimateag.org/summit-program/#march-25