Located on 200 acres in Orange County, South Coast Research and Extension Center (South Coast REC), one of ten Research and Extension Centers in the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources REC System, was established by the University of California in 1956 as a representative site for agricultural and horticultural research in California's south coastal plain-temperate climatic zone. The Center has a rich history of research on strawberries, subtropical crops, landscape plants, irrigation management, and more. South Coast REC continues to serve as an essential site for research, but has also opened its gates to the public, hosting numerous educational and outreach events.
To learn more about current and past research, please visit our Research page. To learn more about our events, please visit our Extension, Outreach & Education page.
Scroll to learn about our Mission and Vision as well as the Hub for Urban Living. For more information about the facilities that we offer and to make facilities reservations, please visit the Facilities page.
REC System Mission and Vision
Our Mission
In support of the UC ANR Mission, we provide a unique network of living laboratories generating innovative research, education and outreach to benefit diverse communities across California's agricultural, wildland, and urban environments.
Our Vision
Be the world's go-to source for the discovery and demonstration of practical solutions to meet the agricultural and natural resources needs of rural and urban communities worldwide.
The Research and Extension Center System is currently working on their new Strategic Framework. We last revised our Strategic Framework in 2020. View this PDF to read about the 2020-2025 REC System Strategic Framework (PDF, 2.01 MB).
Our Hub for Urban Living
The Hub for Urban Living is a physical and virtual multidisciplinary space that connects universities, non-profits, government agencies, and industry and encourages collaboration to discover sustainable solutions to the most important challenges facing our urban world.
To learn more about the Hub for Urban Living, check out the interactive Prezi below and explore this StoryMap.