Associate Professor Joji Muramoto wins award for leadership in agricultural sustainability (2025)

During an upcoming event on May 5, UC Santa Cruz Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension and Organic Agriculture Specialist Joji Muramoto will receive the 2025 Eric Bradford and Charlie Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award from the Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI) at UC Davis. The award recognizes and honors individuals for exemplary leadership, work ethic, and integrity.

Dr. Joji Muramoto was hired as the first Cooperative Extension Specialist fully dedicated to organic agriculture at UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) in 2019, based at UC Santa Cruz. In his role, Muramoto has served the organic agriculture community across the state by working collaboratively with local farm advisors, specialists, UCANR’s Organic Agriculture Institute, and state and non-profit organizations related to organic agriculture.

Muramoto’s research focuses on enhancing soil health and promoting the sustainability of organic agriculture in California, through transdisciplinary agroecological approaches. Prior to his current position, Muramoto served as a researcher at UC Santa Cruz. He has long been affiliated with the Center for Agroecology. Since 1996, he has conducted research and extension on fertility and soil-borne disease management in organic strawberry and vegetable production and fumigant alternatives in conventional strawberry production in coastal California.

Throughout his 29-year career as a soil scientist and agroecologist in California, Muramoto has conducted numerous field-based research projects with local growers and collaborators, published over 50 peer-reviewed papers and invited book chapters, supervised more than 150 undergraduate students, and delivered over 150 extension presentations.

Muramoto received a Ph.D. and an M.S. in agricultural chemistry (soil science) and a B.S. in agricultural chemistry from the Tokyo University of Agriculture in Japan, where he also serves as an affiliate professor. From an early age in suburban Tokyo, Muramoto was interested in the organic movement.

“Organic farmers there told me repeatedly, ‘Soil is the foundation of farming.’ That’s when I got interested in soil science,” he said.

As he advanced in his career, he found that helping growers was especially rewarding.

“My passion is to help organic and conventional farmers make their farms more sustainable: ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially just,” he said.

Muramoto was nominated by Oleg Daugovish of UCANR and Carol Shennan of UC Santa Cruz, supported by several colleagues, former students and industry representatives.

Daugovish and Shennan wrote:

“Joji has a true gift for building working relationships with people of all kinds and has a passionate commitment to doing research that serves the farming community. He works with everyone amazingly well: faculty, private industry folks, students, UCCE advisors and specialists, ranch managers and pest control advisors. We cannot think of a group he has not reached. We call it ‘the Joji effect.’ He finds ways to bring everyone to the table and, more importantly, contribute to the success of collaborative projects…. This award recognizes ‘selflessness of the recipient, who focused on achieving a good outcome, not personal credit.’ That is exactly what Joji does.”

This story was adapted from a press release by UC Davis