Davis, California
March 12, 2008
If California were a country, it
would rank fifth to ninth among the world's nations in the value
of its agriculture, according to a report by the
UC Agricultural Issues Center.
The unpublished report, "Agriculture's Role in the Economy," is
now available on the Web at:
http://www.aic.ucdavis.edu/publications/MOCA_Ch_5.10aPrePrint.pdf.
The report is intended as the fifth chapter in a forthcoming
book, "The Measure of California Agriculture."
Center staff posted it online so that other researchers and
policy analysts can begin to use the data right away.
"California agriculture is large, diverse, complex and dynamic,"
said center director Daniel Sumner, a professor of agricultural
and resource economics at UC Davis. "It contributes
significantly to the economies of the state and nation."
The report found that California farms and related processing
industries generate 7.3 percent of the state's private-sector
jobs and account for 5.6 percent of labor income. The
calculations include ripple effects. They are based on an
analysis of data from the 2002 U.S. Census of Agriculture. The
census is the most recent one available.
In addition to looking at the state as a whole, the report also
analyzes agriculture's economic impact on the Central Valley,
San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento Valley and Central Coast regions
of California.
Established in 1985, the UC Agricultural Issues Center serves as
forum for the study of important trends and issues involving
California agriculture. |
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