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Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) addresses the risk that the agriculture industry faces due to changing climate conditions. It encompasses management practices that increase soil carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve on-farm efficiencies, and promote sustainable land practices. CSA promotes increasing agricultural productivity, building resiliency to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2018, UCANR and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) developed a joint program to provide technical assistance to agricultural producers in applying for and implementing CDFA's Climate Smart Agriculture Incentives Programs, which build climate change resilience, increase water use efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Technical Assistance

UC ANR's team of Community Education Specialists provide technical assistance, outreach, and education to increase the adoption of climate smart agriculture practices targeted at improving soil health, water use efficiency, and on-farm resilience across California.

We provide technical assistance to support growers with project planning, application assistance, project implementation, monitoring, and verification of CDFA's climate smart agriculture incentive programs and other state, federal, and private grant programs. Community Education Specialists also provide translation services and computer access to growers. For more information about the program, please visit https://ciwr.ucanr.edu/Programs/ClimateSmartAg/.

CDFA Climate Smart Agriculture Grants

The University of California Cooperative Extension is pleased to partner with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to provide technical assistance in applying for and implementing the Climate Smart Agriculture Incentives Programs.

Check back for more information about grant opening dates, deadlines, and eligibility. This information will be posted when it becomes available.

	The Healthy Soils Incentive Program (HSP) awards up to $100,000 in reimbursements to eligible California farmers and ranchers to implement conservation agriculture practices that improve soil health and increase carbon sequestration.  Eligible practices include compost application, cover cropping, hedgerow planting, and more. Eligible practices are based on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Practice Standards (CPS). HSP may be administered directly by CDFA or through partner organizations via block grants. If you are an organization interested in collecting data or analyzing the effect of soil health practices, check out the HSP Demonstration Grant.
	The State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) awards up to $200,000 to eligible California agricultural operations to improve irrigation efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas emissions through irrigation water management techniques, pump retrofits and replacements, and renewable energy installation.  Eligible project components include soil moisture monitors and evapotranspiration stations, switching to drip or other low-pressure irrigation systems, retrofitting existing irrigation equipment, pump repairs and replacements, and the installation of solar panels to power irrigation equipment.  SWEEP may be administered directly by CDFA or through partner organizations via block grants.
Image	The Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) awards up to $750,000 to California dairy and livestock operations for non-digester manure management practices that decrease methane emissions. Eligible practices include compost bedded pack barns, pasture-based management, and manure treatment and storage solutions such as solid separation or converting flush systems to scrape manure collection systems.

Your Technical Assistance Provider

Bailey Smith-Helman is the Climate Smart Agriculture Community Education Specialist supporting Santa Cruz, Monterey, Santa Clara, and San Benito Counties.

Bailey can provide one-on-one technical assistance for farmers and ranchers with project design, applications, and implementation of private, state, and federal grant programs including CDFA's Climate Smart Agriculture Incentive programs. For more information, email bsmithhelman@ucanr.edu or call/text (831) 239-9456. También se ofrece asistencia en español.

Additional Grants and Funding Opportunities 

The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) maintains a database of farmer funding opportunities in English and Spanish. You can access this database on CAFF's Farmer Funding Opportunities page to explore grant opportunities and reach out to Bailey for application assistance.