UC Davis opens $66.4 million Center for Agricultural Innovation
The University of California, Davis has added to its campus a 34,000 square-foot building to serve as the new home for agricultural research within the highly ranked College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Equipped with labs, specialized equipment and research spaces, the Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation is designed to accelerate solutions to global problems in food systems and sustainability, according to a news release issued by the university. Simultaneously, students will be able to engage with emerging technologies and active research projects.
“This center represents the best of UC Davis, uniting our strengths in agriculture, engineering and environmental sciences to address challenges facing communities across California and around the world,” Chancellor Gary May said in a statement. “The discoveries made inside this building will extend into farms, fields, and communities around the globe, shaping a more resilient and sustainable future for agriculture.”
Inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week, the construction of the new facility located between Hutchinson Drive and Extension Center Drive cost a total of $66.4 million and took two years to complete.
Of the total project cost, $40 million came from a 2022 gift to the university from The Wonderful Company co-owners Lynda and Stewart Resnick. The Wonderful Company owns brands including FIJI Water and Wonderful Pistachios. The rest of the budget for the Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation was provided by other donors and campus funds.
“Lynda and I have always believed that growing more food with fewer resources is one of the most important things we can do,” Stewart Resnick, who sits on the Chancellor’s Board of Advisors, said. “UC Davis is the leading ag university in the country, and we all have a stake in giving them everything they need to continue leading on this important work.”
At the new center, researchers will use robotics, sensors, data science and artificial intelligence to explore how to create resilient agricultural systems, develop water and energy efficiencies, and expand access to nutritious food, the university said. It will house specialized labs and equipment to bolster efforts to repurpose agricultural waste into high-value products. In 2022, the Resnicks also donated $10 million toward annual competitive research grants to support such work.
The facility will be fully occupied by fall this year, per university officials.
