Two UC Davis centers recently signed agreements to provide the university’s expertise in India (food waste) and Singapore (lighting efficiency).

• India — UC Davis specialists will provide training in produce handling and processing, under an agreement between the Postharvest Technology Center and the Confederation of Indian Industries.

“Reducing postharvest losses is important in terms of trying to feed 9 billion people in the world,” said Beth Mitcham, a Cooperative Extension specialist in pomology and the center’s director, who signed the memorandum of understanding in India.

“It’s encouraging to see some recognition of the importance and some calls to action to reduce the losses, which have been high for many years.”

U.S. Rep. Ami Bera, D-Sacramento, also participated in the signing ceremony. Later, he told the U.S. newspaper India-West: “India is struggling to feed its population. Forty percent of food is lost because of storage issues.”

Bera, former clinical professor of medicine and associate dean for admissions and outreach in the UC Davis School of Medicine, said India had made the right choice: “UC Davis is the top agricultural center in the world, with cutting-edge research.”

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• Singapore — UC Davis’ California Lighting Technology Center is collaborating with the Singapore Green Building Council and Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority to develop a lighting efficiency demonstration and training center in Singapore.

“Singapore has been a leader in the energy efficiency arena,” said Michael Siminovitch, professor and director of the California Lighting Technology Center. “This close collaboration will foster new ideas, advance best practices and address our carbon reduction goals.”

Like the CLTC, which was established in 2003 as part of the Department of Design, the new Singapore lighting center will facilitate collaboration among academic researchers, manufacturers and government representatives. Common goals will be pursued through field demonstrations of new technologies and new education and training opportunities.

Buildings and households consume approximately 49 percent of Singapore’s electricity, constituting almost half of the island state’s total electricity consumption. The new lighting demonstration and training center will help reduce energy demand for lighting by promoting awareness of best practices and energy-efficient lighting design principles.

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