Policy Clinic

Prioritizing Locally Relevant Human Well-Being Indicators Linked to Marine Reserves

Oregon’s marine reserves are protected areas of the ocean that conserve key coastal areas and function as refuges for marine life. Canary rockfish, aggregating anemones, ochre sea stars, and bull kelp are just some of the species thriving in these protected environments. However, a key question arises: how do marine conservation efforts impact human well-being? This question is central to our Environmental Policy and Management Policy Clinic project, conducted in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and UC Davis partners.

Adapting Agriculture for a Changing Climate: Insights from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, renowned for its rich soil and biodiversity, faces unique challenges as climate change and development threaten its agricultural landscape through increasing saltwater intrusion, sea levels, and temperatures. Our group collaborated with the Delta Stewardship Council to dig deeper into these pressing issues and explore strategies that help farmers adapt to these changes.

Injured on the Job? Get Back to Work: California Farmworkers’ Struggle to Access Workplace Rights and Benefits After Occupational Pesticide Exposure

There are over 400,000 farmworkers employed in the agricultural industry in California (California Employment Development Department, 2022). Despite only making up a small proportion of the total 40 million people in the state, their work is fundamental to everyone’s daily life. The significance of their work is a contrast to the difficult working conditions they face on a daily basis– strenuous tasks, poor living conditions, exposure to extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and toxic pesticides.

Lessons Learned: Recommendations for Fair Trade Certified™ Under Climate Change

Consider this: the coffee you drink in the morning, and the chocolate you eat at night, were both grown by a farmer somewhere in the world. You feel good knowing that the coffee was produced sustainably through the farmer's partnership with Fair Trade USA™. However, growing concerns regarding climate change and deforestation have increased pressure on farmers to mitigate harm to the environment, which begs the question, how? And what role can a nonprofit certifying agency, like Fair Trade USA (FTUSA), play?