UC Agriculture and Natural Resources says a new contract with the California Department of Food and Agriculture will expand statewide technical assistance for Healthy Soils and State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program block-grant recipients. The expansion will support organizations helping producers carry out soil-health and water-efficiency projects.
UC ANR announced the contract Nov. 2, saying California’s 2024 Climate Bond will fund the work. The announcement did not specify when the contract takes effect.
Coordinators will support recipient organizations
Under the expanded effort, the program’s Community Education Specialists will take on roles as Climate Smart Agriculture Technical Assistance Coordinators. They will train and support CDFA block-grant recipients, help strengthen local technical assistance programs and assist organizations with outreach and producer projects.
UC ANR identified access for historically underserved agricultural communities as a priority. That includes socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, Tribal producers, disadvantaged communities and producers who do not speak English.
The expansion builds on assistance the program already provides during grant applications and project implementation. UC ANR says that work includes explaining grant requirements, helping producers communicate with CDFA and providing hands-on computer assistance to complete and submit applications.
The program reports having supported more than 1,700 historically underserved and small-scale producers. Its multilingual assistance includes Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hmong, Lu-Mienh, Thai and Punjabi.
Building on an existing partnership
UC ANR and CDFA established the Climate Smart Agriculture Program partnership in 2018. Since then, UC ANR says the program has helped farmers and ranchers implement more than 520 projects associated with over $47.2 million in grants through Healthy Soils, SWEEP and the Alternative Manure Management Program. Those totals describe the program’s work to date, not the value or scope of the new contract.
Coordinators will also develop training, resources and practical guidance to document environmental and community benefits. The team works with UC ANR researchers and advisors, CDFA, Resource Conservation Districts and other agricultural partners.
