Agriculture: environmental farming programs and grants.

Existing law, the Cannella Environmental Farming Act of 1995, requires the Department of Food and Agriculture to establish and oversee an environmental farming program that provides incentives to farmers whose practices promote the well-being of ecosystems, air quality, and wildlife and their habitat. The act requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to convene the Scientific Advisory Panel on Environmental Farming (panel) , as prescribed, to advise the secretary on the implementation of the Healthy Soils Program and the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program, as described, and to assist federal, state, and local government agencies, as appropriate or necessary, on issues relating to the impact of agricultural practices on air, water, and wildlife habitat, as specified. Existing law requires the department to establish a technical assistance grant program to provide funds to technical assistance providers, as defined, to provide technical assistance to applicants of the Healthy Soils Program, alternative manure management practices programs, and the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program. Existing law requires the secretary to make available to the grant program not less than 5% of the funds appropriated to the department for those programs, but not more than $5,000,000, for providing technical assistance to farmers and ranchers who apply for grants from those programs, with priority given to farms and ranches that are 500 acres or less, and supporting annual information sharing among technical assistance providers, the department, and other relevant stakeholders for the continuous improvement of programmatic guidelines, application processes, and relevant climate change and agricultural research. Existing law requires the department to ensure that at least 25% of the grant program funds are used to provide technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, as defined. This bill would require the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature of additional funds, to administer the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (grant program) to provide grants to agricultural operations to implement irrigation systems that reduce greenhouse gases and energy use and increase water use efficiency, as prescribed. The bill would also require the department to fund culturally competent training on irrigation and nutrient management, authorize the department to contract with qualified third parties to measure grant program outcomes, and require the department to adopt guidelines for the grant program. The bill would require the secretary to convene, by April 1, 2021, an ad hoc technical advisory committee of the panel and require the committee to make, by July 1, 2022, recommendations to the panel and secretary regarding certain aspects of the grant program, as specified. The bill prohibits members of the committee from applying for grants from the grant program while they serve on the committee. The bill would revise the definition of "technical assistance," for purposes of the technical assistance grant program, to specifically include training. The bill would also make a conforming change.