UC ANR's Climate Smart Agriculture Program
What is Climate-Smart Agriculture?
Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) addresses the risks that climate change poses to agriculture. It encompasses practices that:
- Increase soil carbon
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Improve water use efficiency
Program Overview
In 2018, the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) developed a joint program to provide technical assistance in applying for and implementing Climate Smart Agriculture Incentives Programs, which helps agricultural producers build climate change resilience, increase water use efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
How do we provide 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 soil health, manure management, and water use efficiency across California.
To provide technical assistance, education, and outreach we:
- Establish and maintain grower connections
- Develop and present flyers, case studies, blogs, newsletters, and fact sheets
- Lead trainings, field days, on-farm visits, and workshops
- Participate in and communicate research findings
- Support project design, application, implementation, monitoring, and verification of CDFA's financial incentive programs
- Provide translation services and computer access
- Tailor assistance to support Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Priority Populations
Program Impacts
Since 2019, UC ANR's Climate Smart Agriculture Team has provided in-depth technical assistance to more than 1,300 farmers and ranchers in 25 counties. In September 2023, CDFA and UC ANR published an impact report of the program that has supported more than 420 successful projects that are expected to save an estimated 8.3 billion gallons of water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 355,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent.
Team: Hope Zabronsky (CIWR/UC ANR), Nicki Anderson (CIWR/UC ANR Ventura County), Caddie Bergen (CIWR/UC ANR Merced County), Amber Butland (CIWR/UC ANR Fresno County), Amanda Charles (CIWR/UC ANR Sonoma County), Lizzeth Mendoza (CIWR/UC ANR Glenn County), Heather Montgomery (CIWR/UC ANR Sutter/Yuba Counties), Ana Resendiz (CIWR/UC ANR Imperial County), Bailey Smith-Helman (CIWR/UC ANR Santa Cruz County, Ben Faber (UC ANR Ventura County), Ruth Dahlquist-Willard (UC ANR Fresno County), Betsy Karle (UC ANR Glenn County), and Erik Porse (CIWR/UC ANR).
Program Support: CDFA Contract #19-1001-000-SO
2019-2022 Impact Report for the Climate Smart Agriculture Program at UC ANR
UC ANR and the California Department of Food and Agriculture
In September 2023, we published an impact report for the UC ANR Climate Smart Agriculture technical assistance program in CIWR. The program has supported over 1,300 farmers and ranchers in California and resulted in over 400 successful applications for state grant programs totaling $36 million.
Check out UC ANR's blog post of the program.
Publication: Climate-Smart Water Technologies and Strategies for a Resilient Forage Production System
Ali Montazar, UC Cooperative Extension, Imperial and San Diego Counties
In February 2025, UCCE Advisor Ali Montazar and collaborator Reza Keshavarz Afshar published a new article entitled "Climate-smart water technologies and strategies for a resilience forage production system." The article summarizes cutting-edge and established practices for climate smart agriculture in forage production, which support water use efficiency and sustainable production systems.
Check out the new article.
Follow Our Blog: Climate Smart Agriculture
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Welcome to our new Fresno CES, Juan Gonzales!
Juan Gonzales is our newest Community Education Specialist with the UC ANR Climate Smart Agriculture Program based in Fresno County. He is thrilled to provide technical assistance to growers for climate smart agriculture practices. He grew up in...
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Healthy Soils Program - Soil Health Pilot
The Healthy Soils Program (HSP) Incentive Grant, offered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), provides funding to farmers and ranchers in California to implement soil conservation management practices, with the goal of...
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Proposition 4 Climate Bond and Funding or Climate-Smart Agriculture
Proposition 4 Climate Bond Funding for Climate-Smart Agriculture California has experienced extreme weather in recent years that threatens our land and water resources. In November 2024, Californians voted to approve Proposition 4, a $10 billion Climate...
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Community Education Specialist Highlight Series: Michael Jaquez
Michael Jaquez has always been passionate about agriculture and education. He and his family own and operate a farm in Ramona, San Diego, where they sell their products at the farmers' market. Before taking on this role, Michael was a high school...