By Jamie Martin
Dr. Joji Muramoto, a leading researcher in organic agriculture, has received the 2025 Eric Bradford and Charlie Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award from the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis. This award recognises individuals who have significantly advanced sustainable agriculture practices.
As the first Cooperative Extension Specialist in the University of California system dedicated solely to organic agriculture, Dr. Muramoto has been instrumental in improving strawberry production methods. His work with Dr. Carol Shennan at UC Santa Cruz pioneered alternatives to methyl bromide, a harmful chemical used in strawberry farming.
Their method, anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD), is now widely used by both organic and conventional growers in California.
Dr. Muramoto’s passion for soil health began in his youth in suburban Tokyo. “Organic farmers there told me repeatedly, ‘Soil is the foundation of farming.’ That’s when I got interested in soil science,” he says.
Supported early on by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), Dr. Muramoto has secured over $5 million in funding for his research. OFRF grants in 1997, 2003, and 2010 helped build a foundation for his work on sustainable farming practices.
His goal has always been to help farmers—organic and conventional—adopt practices that are ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially just. His research now plays a key role in developing sustainable solutions for the future of farming.
With organic agriculture representing over 6% of total U.S. food sales, the need for dedicated research is growing. Yet, organic programs still receive less than 2% of USDA research funds, a gap that experts are urging to close.
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