- Author: Caddie M Bergren
He opted for adding deep root irrigation, which can be attached to his existing dripline. Instead of a traditional drip emitter at the soil surface, he added a buried vertical rod with holes in it, buried about 24 inches deep, with two such rods next to each tree. When asked why he chose this method, Mr. Athwal says, “In the 2020-2022 drought, we were struggling to put enough water on our trees to meet their peak demand. Water was very expensive and the cost to drill a well was also very expensive. Deep Root Irrigation (DRI) offered us an ability to meet the trees demand but with a water savings ranging from 20-30%. In CA, water is gold and DRI helps us use this vital resource more wisely.“
Additionally, as part of his SWEEP grant, he added a variable frequency drive (VFD) to his existing irrigation pump. This will allow him to save energy by varying the amount of energy used by the pump when irrigating different-sized fields. He also installed a weather station with 7 moisture sensors throughout the field, which are tied into an automated system that he can control on his phone. This means he can remotely check on moisture levels throughout the field, and schedule irrigation sets only when necessary. This can be especially helpful in the spring as temperatures are rising, the soil surface appears dry but there can still be plenty of moisture down the soil profile.
As we visited his fields, what you mainly notice are the tall rows of cover crop in between his tree rows. He says, “I'd spoken to a lot of farmers who had used cover crops and couldn't wait to tell me about the benefits that this practice offered. When it comes to farming, my mentality has always been farm the ground as if you will farm it forever. Soil health is a major part of that and when I learned of others positive experiences with cropping, I wanted to try it myself.”
He teamed up with the local RCD to participate in their Conservation Innovation Grant and try cover cropping on some of his fields. Since then, he has expanded the practice to 80% of his fields and plans to continue. Nav says he “saw first hand the difference cover cropping made with respect to water infiltration, breaking up hard dirt, filling cracked dirt, creating a habitat for beneficials, increasing organic matter and the list goes on."
Both deep root irrigation and cover cropping can be a big adjustment. His advice to growers who want to try either practice is, “Start small. Test it out on a block, make sure it works for you and then you can expand from there. For DRI, the hardest thing to get right is the installation. Make sure you have a crew that understands the installation process and doesn't cut corners. As for cover crop, work with Project ApisM...they are a great resource! “
“As farmers, our job is to produce quality food for the world while preserving natural resources to the best of our ability. We're stewards of the land, water, soil etc. and finding ways to preserve these resources not only help the environment and our neighbors, but our overall economics as well.”
If you are interested in the SWEEP program or have questions, click here to contact a technical service provider near you.
- Author: Linda J Forbes
From August 2023 to March 2024, UC Cooperative Extension in San Bernardino County provided interactive classes and demonstrations in English and Spanish for ethnically diverse and limited-resource residents that led to increased food security and reduced food waste.
These efforts were funded by the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program Small Grants Program, which supports the development of sustainable community food systems.
Workshops draw on experts from variety of UC ANR programs
The project in San Bernardino County, led by Christine Davidson of UCCE and the Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program, mobilized a team of EFNEP, UC Master Gardener Program and UC Master Food Preserver Program staff and volunteers to educate families in underserved communities through a series of hands-on workshops.
Thirty-six mothers attended EFNEP lessons from the “Eating Smart, Being Active” curriculum focusing on improving knowledge and skills in the areas of diet quality, food resource management, food safety, physical activity and food security.
They also attended Master Gardener workshops to learn how to grow vegetables in their home gardens and compost food waste, and Master Food Preserver classes where they made healthy recipes and learned about safe food preservation with a focus on food waste prevention.
Two hundred and twenty children at two schools attended a series of EFNEP lessons and a workshop to learn about composting with worms or composting in a jar. “The students love the hands-on activities, and with this knowledge they can participate in composting food waste at home,” said Davidson. “It was especially rewarding to teach the kindergarteners about composting since it was a new concept for them.”
The SAREP grant provided funding for kits and materials that parents and children took home to apply their new knowledge in making different salads, using scraps to make vegetable broth, growing herb gardens and composting at home. “The kits are great incentives for people to attend the classes and reinforce their learning at home,” Davidson noted.
With better meal planning and proper food storage, families can save food and money. “I have begun saving scraps to make vegetable broth that I use to make rice. My kids love collecting the scraps and it saves money buying the broth,” said a parent at Bradley Elementary School in San Bernardino.
Additionally, families are educated on the organic waste reduction requirements of Senate Bill 1383 and how they can do their part to reduce food waste.
The final product of the SAREP-funded project will be a Food Waste Prevention Workshop Toolkit in Spanish and English that will be shared widely and delivered in UC ANR workshops by staff and volunteers in other counties. “Our goal beyond providing these materials to support our community is to help grow their use across UC ANR so more families can benefit from them,” said Davidson.
Small grants, big impacts
Funding priorities for the Small Grants Program include supporting California farmers, ranchers and land stewards in the adoption of environmentally regenerative practices and partnering with rural, urban and tribal communities to expand access to healthy, sustainably produced food and promote community well-being.
“The Small Grants Program is an important part of our mission,” said Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, interim director of UC SAREP, a program of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. “Program outcomes show that a small financial investment can have a large impact in improving the lives of Californians.”
This article is part of a series on the impact of the UC SAREP Small Grants Program. To support this program, please donate here. Choose SAREP Small Grants Program for the designation.