The Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Program was created through a collaboration between the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR). The primary goal of the CSA team is to increase the adoption of climate-smart practices, leading to an increase in resilience to climate change on farms and ranches throughout California. This is achieved through providing technical assistance to growers implementing climate-smart practices through outreach and education. The CSA team is run by the California Institute for Water Resources, directed by Erik Porse, and consists of ten Community Education Specialists (CES’s) that are led by Hope Zabronksy, Academic Coordinator and Team Lead. The ten CES’s are located throughout the state and cover twenty-five counties (Figure 1).
CDFA offers three statewide incentive grants to promote the goals of climate-smart agriculture and aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve natural resources. The CSA team provides technical assistance for these incentive grants, which include the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP), the Healthy Soils Program (HSP), and the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP). SWEEP focuses on making upgrades to existing irrigation systems to increase efficiency and reduce water usage. HSP provides funding to growers to implement conservation management practices that sequester carbon and improve soil health. AMMP incentivizes projects on commercial livestock and dairy operations that reduce methane emissions through improved manure handling. All three incentive programs offer free one-on-one technical assistance, which is provided by the CSA team.
The CSA team has had a huge impact on farmers and ranchers in California. To date, the CSA team has assisted in submitting over 800+ grant applications, resulting in 500+ funded projects. Between all three CSA incentive grants, over $46 million have been awarded to growers in California. Additionally, there has been an estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) savings of about 95,000 CO2e, and water savings of about 37,000 acre-feet. The projects the CSA team support not only positively impact the growers’ farming operation but also contributes to creating more resilience to climate change.
Are you interested in hearing more about the Climate Smart Agriculture Program? Visit our website to learn more about the program and to find a technical assistance provider near you.
Website: https://ciwr.ucanr.edu/Programs/ClimateSmartAg/index.cfm