California has announced it is giving more than $106 million in healthy soils grants to 23 organizations to help producers design and implement carbon sequestration and irrigation efficiency projects.

The funding is made available through the state Department of Food and Agriculture’s Healthy Soils Block Grant Pilot and State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program Block Grant Pilot programs.

CDFA has administered the HSP and SWEEP since 2014, accepting applications and providing grants directly to producers for projects on their farms. Both programs are popular with producers and have an important role in the state’s climate change and water resilience strategies.

Under these new block grant programs, qualified organizations in California can apply for state funding and then disburse funds to eligible farmers/ranchers or agricultural operations for on-farm projects. Additionally, awarded organizations provide technical assistance to implement on-farm projects or will partner with technical assistance providers to provide this support.

"We are excited about the interest in our block grant programs, and the potential for locally led and coordinated projects to help build relationships," said Virginia Jameson, Deputy Secretary for Climate and Working Lands at CDFA. "We hope that these grants will build capacity in communities to address their specific resource challenges with the solutions that are right for them."

More information

Producers interested in receiving technical or financial assistance for a soil health or irrigation efficiency project can review block grant organizations, including their contact information, at the block grant websites listed below. 

CDFA will open traditional direct-to-producer HSP and SWEEP application periods late in 2023.

Source: California Department of Food and Agriculture