Supported by $3.57 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Climate Smart Agriculture initiative provides technical assistance to help farmers find funding and implement projects that support their work while helping to achieve the State’s climate goals. These funds, which were leveraged by CDFA and the Strategic Growth Council, support 10 Community Education Specialists, a group of technical experts with the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Since 2019, these Community Education Specialists have assisted over 850 farmers and ranchers across the State with applications to programs under the Climate Smart Agriculture initiative.

Valerie Perez, a Community Education Specialist working in Santa Cruz County, is part of the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources team and focuses much of her effort towards assisting small-scale non-English speaking Chinese farmers located in Santa Clara County. “When I first begin working with the group of Chinese farmers, I encountered a lot of hesitation. After many presentations and one-on-one meetings, I was able to get a small group of farmers interested in applying for the Healthy Soils Program and State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program. Once the rest of the community saw their counterparts’ success and the value these programs brought to their businesses, they quickly showed interest in applying. I can now say that we have tripled the interest we first encountered in this community.”

“Technical assistance at the university level is a critical asset to our farming community,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “This is a story about State agencies breaking down silos and partnering with the University of California to offer help to farmers and ranchers, including socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. We hope to continue investing in this effort while advancing our climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.”