CDFA seeks public comment on $6.75 million Healthy Soils Program by July 12

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting public comments on Requests for Grant Applications (RGA) for the $6.75 million Healthy Soils Program, authorized by the Budget Act of 2016, and funded through California's cap-and-trade program.

The Healthy Soils Program offers grants to farmers who take action to capture greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, in the soil to help combat climate change.

The program is part of California's cap-and-trade California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities. The cap-and-trade program also creates a financial incentive for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution.

The Healthy Soils Program will be implemented under two separate components: 1) the $3.75 million Incentives Program and 2) the $3 million Demonstration Projects. For the Incentives Program, an estimated $3.75 million in competitive grant funding will be awarded to provide financial assistance for implementation of agricultural management practices that sequester soil carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

For the Demonstration Projects, an estimated $3 million in competitive grant funding will be awarded to projects that monitor and demonstrate to farmers and ranchers in California, specific management practices in agriculture that sequester carbon, improve soil health and reduce atmospheric GHGs.

The RGA for both the Healthy Soils Program Incentives Program and Demonstration Projects can be found on the CDFA Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation webpage: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils.

Comments regarding the draft RGA can be submitted to cdfa.oefi@cdfa.ca.gov no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 12, 2017.

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