Agriculture biotechnology

David Zilberman organized two conferences on intellectual property rights on agriculture.  The first emphasized technology transfer from the university to the private sector.  Participants considered new ways to manage Extension, but most emphasis was given to new institutions, offices of technology transfer, and the privatization of university knowledge.  One issue that was raised is that there is a lack of sufficient privatization and development of technologies for minor crops, and mechanisms have to be established to enhance provision of technologies for minor crops and developing countries.  In the second conference, participants raised the prospect of establishing a clearinghouse for agricultural biotechnology. Representatives from commodity groups, major companies, and international organizations attended the conference and, based on papers that are derived from this conference; the Rockefeller Foundation is now working with several U.S. universities to establish a sharing arrangement for property rights in agricultural biotechnology. The conference and the exposure it generated from the clearinghouse idea also affected the establishment of clearinghouses in the medical biotechnology field.This conference lead to the on-going outreach effort described above.

Agricultural labor issues

Howard Rosenberg recently presented an invited talk on "Agricultural Labor Management Beyond Compliance" to the annual meeting of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers. In collaboration with the Camelbak Corporation and winegrape growers in Napa Valley, Howard conducted field studies of fluid replenishment by vineyard workers, leading to several presentations on the physiology, causes, consequences, and practical measures to combat heat stress in agricultural field work. In cooperation with the Monterey County CE, the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB), and both grower and worker organization attorneys, Howard Rosenberg presented a public workshop examining the ALR Act and proposed revisions to it in light of experience since its enactment in 1975. Howard Rosenberg has written two editions of Labor Management Laws in California Agriculture with Boalt Hall then-students Daniel Egan and Valerie Horwitz.  The book has been a basic reference for farm employers, worker advocates, public agency staff, attorneys and other professional service providers in agriculture. In 1994 Howard created and has since managed the WPS-Forum, an internet discussion group and reference archive that accelerated nationwide dissemination, clarification, adjustment, and implementation of the federal Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides, and of corresponding state regulations. Howard initiated and worked with DANR colleagues at Riverside to develop an educational booklet on personal financial management for agricultural workers and others who read and speak Spanish.  Multiple printings of this publication have been provided to users through migrant education centers, community groups, and employers. Howard Rosenberg served as Director of the Agricultural Personnel Management Program, a DANR statewide program, from 1988 to 1998. In 1994 Howard created and has since managed the WPS-Forum, an internet discussion group and reference archive that accelerated nationwide dissemination, clarification, adjustment, and implementation of the federal Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides, and of corresponding state regulations.

Dave Sunding recently hosted a seminar on pressing water issues that face agriculture in the Salinas and Central valleys. Seawater intrusion, agricultural runoff, salinity and regulation were among the topics to be discussed.  In March 2002, Dave Sunding headed a conference sponsored by the CNR and the Center for Sustainable Resource Development entitled "The Future of the West Side," which addressed concerns of water resources, agriculture, the environment and the future of west side communities. Michael Hanneman led a team of Berkeley researchers who worked with representatives from the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project, seven government agencies, and other economists from the University of California and University of Southern California to find out how much it costs the state and the public when California's beaches are shut down. Dave Sunding has served on an expert panel charged with reviewing and designing meaasures for allcoating the fixed and operating costs of large water infrastructure projects.  He has also been an active advocate for the creating and expansion of water markets in California and elsewhere in the Western United States.

• Dave Sunding served as a senior economist for the President's Council of Economic Advisors during the Clinton administration. He specialized in agricultural, natural resources and environmental policy.
• David Zilberman organized a workshop on new rural development and brought together scientists from the USDA, professors from land-grant universities, and regional policy planners and statisticians to identify major issues of rural development, particularly data collection, and to gain knowledge to ensure smart decisionsScientists provided information and analysis, and Zilberman fostered dialogue and identified some crucial areas where researchers can make a difference and the clientele can work together to generate new sources of data to enable better research.
David Zilberman was an organizer of a 2002 Farm Bill conference that discussed new directions for the Conservation Reserve Program.The conference included Senator Pat Roberts and, like the biotechnology conference, it included participants from all commodity programs, staffers, new political appointees to EPA, and interdisciplinary groups of researchers.They identified the major environmental problems of farmers in the United States and discussed how the purchase of environmental services and land for farming can alleviate this problem.The government aims to spend $4 billion annually for this environmental service, and our meeting spearheaded a great deal of work among policymakers on how to spend the money, how to monitor performance, and how to evaluate progress.
Educational videos:
• Over the last several years, David Zilberman has produced four videos for use in outreach programs that have had significant value. All four videos are used to provide visual, entertaining synopses on perspectives of important ideas and have been particularly useful in providing an alternative approach to informing policymakers about major policy issues.
• "Water in the West," was produced in May, 1999.It is a 36-minute video on the comparison of water rights arrangements in different states, and it explains the problems associated with transition to water markets.It has been presented twice in Washington, D. C., and several times in California, and it is a very useful tool for educating policymakers on the complexity of water allocation systems and the problems with switching from the water rights to water trading system.
• "Impacts of Global Climate Change and Mitigation Strategies on U.  S. Agriculture," a 25-minute video produced in 1998, is a synopsis of the first conference we held in Washington, D. C., on soil carbon sequestration and climate change.It was presented to staffers of the Agricultural Committee of the Senate and at several national meetings.It provides an excellent introduction to the impact of climate change on agriculture and how agriculture is affected by global warming through soil carbon sequestration.
• "Biotechnology and the Public Interest," a 21-minute video produced in 2000, is a summary of the Berkeley biotechnology conference.It is unique because it presents a perspective from pro- and anti-biotechnology scientists in a calm and reasonable manner.The testimony from African scientists on the importance of biotechnology in their continent was especially moving.
• "Population, Environment, Economics, and Culture," a 47-minute video produced in 1999, presents a range of perspectives on the population and the environment.The video is a summary of a Berkeley conference on this topic, and it presents the main themes that separate population control advocates from researchers that believe in the power of incentives and technology.
 
    To view or acquire a copy of these videos, please contact:

                College of Natural Resources Media Unit
                Phone: 510 643-2575
                Fax: 510 642-4612
                    E-mail: rjaffe@nature.berkeley.edu
 
• Howard Rosenberg produced, directed, co-scripted, edited, and even acted in a videotape of vignettes titled "Responding to Performance Problems in the Field: Dealing One-on-One When Things Go Wrong" on which a wide variety of agricultural supervisory training and management development sessions have been based.  He has coached field employee relations staff members as well as extension educators from several states on ways of using the video in public workshops and in-firm meetings.