Associate Researcher
Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

Ph.D., M.S., B.A., Tokyo University of Agriculture
Tokyo, Japan

Sustainable Nutrient/Pest Management and Agroecology

My current research focuses on developing sustainable fertility and pest management strategies in organic strawberries and organic vegetables in California. Agroecological principles are used in my research to examine and improve sustainability of agricultural production systems and food systems. Some research projects that I have been involved in are; maintaining agroecosystem health in an organic strawberry-vegetable rotation system (Elkhorn project), nitrogen cycling at conventional and organic strawberry fields in California and in Nanjing, China (Muramoto et.al., 2001), nitrogen management in organic strawberries (Muramoto et.al., 2004), comparison of nitrate content in leafy vegetables from organic and conventional farms in California (Nitrate in leafy vegetables), and developing a method of earthworm sampling using mustard emulsion (Muramoto and Werner, 2002).

• Publications
• Research

Research interests: sustainable agriculture, indicators of sustainability, agroecology, agroecosystems, systems approach, nutrient cycling, soil quality, food quality, soil testing and plant analysis, organic farming, nitrate in leafy vegetables, Japanese agriculture.

Contact Joji Muramoto by email: joji@ucsc.edu