Rose Hayden-Smith

Rose Hayden-Smith is the editor/curator of the UC Food Observer blog, which was launched in 2015 as part of the University of California’s Global Food Initiative. She has been a UC academic since 1992; her research and practice focus on gardens, food systems and history. She has worked as a UC youth, family and community development advisor and managed the 4-H and Master Gardener programs in Ventura County. She also served as the director for UC’s Cooperative Extension office in Ventura County, providing leadership for a team of UC field researchers focusing on issues relating to agriculture, natural resources, and human health and nutrition. From 2010-14, she served as the leader for the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ statewide strategic initiative in sustainable food systems. Her book, “Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War I,” was published by McFarland in 2014. She also writes under the name “Victory Grower.”

Hayden-Smith is a former W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Policy Fellow and the recipient of UC Davis’ Bradford-Rominger award (2013) for her career accomplishments in promoting agricultural sustainability. She holds four degrees from UC Santa Barbara, including master’s degrees in education and U.S. history and a doctorate in U.S. history with an emphasis in public historical studies. She lives in Ventura, California.