Socially responsible technology for a sustainable future
55+
years of leadership in agriculture
36
affiliated researchers
15
academic departments
Emerging technologies have the potential to dramatically reshape the agri-food system. UC Santa Cruz aims to transform agriculture through innovation, education, research, and empowerment. Our interdisciplinary expertise guides engineers, activists, farmers, and others on a path to socially responsible technology for a sustainable future.
Jun 15, 2023
Interdisciplinary team wins Small Farm prize in first-ever Farm Robotics Challenge
On the UC Santa Cruz farm, a small self-driving tractor navigates itself over a line of broccoli, avoiding the crops while removing the weeds that may interfere with their growth.
Mar 2, 2023
Leaf wetness sensor will enable better plant disease forecasting and management
Plant diseases limit the output of agricultural workers and cause hundreds of billions of dollars in global crop production loss each year.
Oct 20, 2022
Food system researcher unpacks the narratives driving a race for new protein sources
UC Santa Cruz professor and food system expert Julie Guthman’s latest paper explores the cultural mythologies around protein.
Agricultural Experiment Station
In November 2022, UC Santa Cruz joined a nationwide, federally funded network of Agricultural Experiment Stations that study potential improvements to food systems and deliver useful innovations to farmers and other stakeholders in agriculture and food production. New state and federal funding through this designation will support more groundbreaking research on our campus, including in AgTech.
Uniquely positioned to lead
UC Santa Cruz’s history in agriculture dates back to 1967. Since then, we have continued to expand and build on the success of our strong educational focus on organic soil management, alternative pest control measures, water conservation, biodiversity, and more recently, innovative agriculture technology.