[UCI-Calit2] Distinguished Energy Series -- A.G. Kawamura, March 3

[Anna Lynn Spitzer]

Distinguished Energy Lecturer Series - The Nexus Between Energy, Water
and Agriculture in the State of California

 

Speaker:              A.G. Kawamura, Secretary, California Department of
Food and Agriculture

 

Date:                     Wednesday, March 3, 2010

 

Time:                    5-6 p.m. 

Location:             Engineering Hall Auditorium (Building 308, UC
Irvine Campus)
                            Reception to follow in the National Fuel
Cell Research Center (Building 323, UC Irvine Campus) 

Abstract:
California is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the
world. It ranks as the nation's leading dairy producer, yields almost
half of U.S.-grown fruits, nuts and vegetables, and exports food to more
than 150 countries. This bounty would not be possible without water and
the electrical energy required for irrigation and post-harvest
processing. Electrical costs and power reliability are critical to the
success and sustainability of the state's agricultural concerns. In
fact, almost every facet of the state's economy relies on the transport
and treatment of large volumes of water, two activities that require a
continuous supply of electricity. 

Kawamura will discuss the ways in which California plays a leading role
in national and international efforts to put agriculture at the
forefront of meeting increasing energy demands while "continuing to
produce safe, abundant and affordable food, feed and fiber." 

 

Bio:

Gov. Schwarzenegger appointed Kawamura as secretary of the California
Department of Food and Agriculture in November 2003. Since then,
Kawamura has represented California's agricultural interests on numerous
national committees. He chairs the Specialty Crop Task Force of the
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), and is
a member of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee. In
addition, he serves on the steering committees of the national 25x'25
renewable-energy initiative, which calls for America's farms, forests
and ranches to provide 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the
United States by 2025, and the Native Pollinator Initiative. He is the
immediate past president of the Western Association of State Departments
of Agriculture and was, in that capacity, a member of the NASDA board.

 

Kawamura was an early supporter of renewable energy and is a vocal
proponent of invasive species prevention, trade promotion, and farm bill
reauthorization.

 

Prior to his appointment, Kawamura was a produce grower and shipper from
Orange County, where his third-generation farming family still grows
strawberries, green beans and other specialty crops. As president of
Orange County Harvest, a nonprofit promoting agricultural partnerships
with organizations combating hunger, he arranged for thousands of
volunteers to harvest and glean over a million pounds of produce for
area food banks. His urban community garden projects are nationally
recognized.

 

Kawamura has received numerous awards and recognition for his work
within and outside the agricultural community. Highlights include:
Pacific Pioneer Award: Japanese American Cultural and Community Center,
2004; Orange County Second Harvest Food Bank: Humanitarians Against
Hunger Award, 2000; and the California Hunger Action Coalition: Hunger
Fighter Award, 2000.

 

This lecture is free and open to the public. Please R.S.V.P. to Jana
Santiago at js at apep.uci.edu with your name and affiliation by 5 p.m.
March 2, 2010. 

Parking is available in the Anteater Parking Structure at the
intersection of Anteater Drive and East Peltason, Irvine, California
92697. 



Sponsored by: The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and the New
Majority California Energy Task Force

More information:
http://www.eng.uci.edu/events/2010/1/distinguished-energy-lecturer-serie
s-nexus-between-energy-water-and-agriculture-state-

 

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