Studies key characteristics influencing microcomputer and software use by farmers and farm businesses. Examines how certain variables, including farm size, product, operator's education and age influence computer use. Large farms and well-educated operators are more likely to use computers. Recommends computer education outreach and crop…

Examines survey results showing decreasing student enrollment in seven California four-year agricultural schools. Observes increased enrollment, however, in some agriculture-related fields. Discusses loss of student interest in relation to agriculture's negative image and national agricultural economic crisis. Includes statistics chart. (TES)

California 4-H, a program of the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, delivers a rich mix of educational activities during, before, and after school that go beyond the traditional focus on agriculture. Programs include a study of adolescent career choices, a homework club, several science education programs,…

Part of a series on California's future through 2025, this theme issue of California Agriculture examines how demographic changes and increased ethnic diversity will affect the state's agriculture, economy, and educational system. Research articles are: "Immigration, High Fertility Fuel State's Population Growth" (William A. V. Clark);…

Describes the University of California's Small Farms Program, which aims to support the sustainability of small farms by providing small-scale farmers with state-of-the-art information, research, support networks, and technical assistance in technology adoption and decision making. Profiles four successful small farms that grow strawberries,…

Surveyed county superintendents, Cooperative Extension county directors, and district superintendents to determine their views on agricultural literacy education. Respondents favored addressing the topic in the middle grades (4-9), through science and social studies. Critical topics identified included toxins in food and the environment, water…

Reviews California legislation related to work safety and injury prevention as they pertain to farmworkers. Describes types of work injuries and illnesses and supplies the state's statistics for their occurrence. Provides a source for identifying workplace hazards and devising safety measures and training programs. (KS)

This special issue focuses on problems and challenges confronting the California family and on research and extension efforts to provide at least partial answers. Research briefs by staff include "Challenges Confront the California Family" (state trends in poverty, divorce, single-parent families, child abuse, delinquency, teen births,…

A collaborative pilot program between Oakland Unified School District (California), University of California at Berkeley, and Cooperative Extension uses the Internet to teach urban teens about insects. Students catch, identify, mount, and photograph insects; photographs are then digitized for inclusion in the "City Bugs" Web site, which…

A Spanish-language program was developed to educate California migrant farmworker families about motor vehicle safety using a bingo-like game similar to one popular in Mexico. The game disseminated safe-driving information in weekly bilingual newspapers and on Spanish radio and television. Assessments suggest that the media campaigns favorably…

In the University of California Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Program, a partnership with the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, volunteers teach approximately 1000 people annually how to compost in their backyards to help reduce landfill waste. Surveys conducted in 1995 and 1996 showed that home composters reduced their input into…

University of California Sea Grant Extension Program provides training and technical assistance to fishers, farmers, planners, and conservationists on projects such as coastal ecosystem health, marine environmental protection, fisheries management, aquaculture, salmon habitat restoration, and controlling nonpoint-source pollution; supports…

Describes efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of nonindigenous species in U.S. waters, most notably the zebra mussel, a native of Russia, which has spread to 19 states and 2 Canadian provinces since its introduction to the Great Lakes in 1988. California Sea Grant Extension's boater education program augments federal and California laws…

Five nutrition education lessons developed specifically for Latino families were broadcast over Spanish-language radio in urban and semi-rural areas of southern California. Pre- and postbroadcast interviews with participants revealed that although knowledge and practice gains were significant in both locations, reported food-frequency patterns…

A study examined low-income Latinos' attitudes concerning diabetes. Focus groups and surveys of 160 California Latinos, primarily of Mexican descent, found that many at risk of developing diabetes were unaware of risk factors, had never been screened, and did not know where to get advice. Most believed that stress or strong emotion caused the…