Today, the complex interplay between global change and population growth with agriculture and food systems grows increasingly difficult to ignore.  Global agri-food systems are challenged with delivering more food to meet the needs of current and future generations but to do it in a way that is  environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. The solutions to meet these challenges and transform global food systems will largely depend on innovative transdisciplinary approaches aligned within a systems perspective.

The University of California’s (UCR’s) California Agriculture and Food Enterprise (CAFÉ) is a research catalyst initiative facilitating the integrative, multidisciplinary study of complex issues associated with agriculture, food and sustainability for the betterment of the health and well-being of humanity and the planet.

To attain this goal, CAFÉ acts to both open communication and break down disciplinary barriers among UCR-based faculty, researchers, staff, administrators, and students to facilitate activities that lead to the creation of solutions. Building on UCR’s strengths in food and agriculture in the broad sense, CAFÉ also works to build partnerships beyond the campus with like-minded scholars within the University of California (UC) system (e.g., UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) and UC Global Food Initiative (GFI)) as well as appropriate interested government, non-government, industry, and private stakeholders.