The California Department of Food and Agriculture is pleased to announce a competitive grant application process for the Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) program.
Donor Name: California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/06/2023
Size of the Grant: $500,000
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
Assembly Bill 180 (Budget Act of 2021) appropriated $15 million from the California Emergency Relief Fund to CDFA for the WETA program which funds irrigation water efficiency and nutrient management technical assistance grants. The WETA grant program is designed to facilitate technical assistance to agricultural operations for on-farm water and energy use efficiency and nutrient management.
Objectives
The WETA program has three objectives for delivering technical assistance. Applicants may apply for funding to engage in any or all these objectives:
- Provide on-farm, one-on-one technical assistance to farmers to evaluate irrigation system efficiency (e.g., mobile irrigation lab) and provide diagnostics, reports and recommendations to growers
- In addition to evaluation of irrigation systems, grant recipients may also assist farmers with irrigation water management technology (e.g., soil moisture sensors, evapotranspiration (ET) station information) calibration, data interpretation and training for proper use of technology for irrigation scheduling, monitoring and nutrient management.
- Coordinate or provide pump efficiency testing for farmers
- Grant recipients may support farmers in identifying and scheduling pump testing vendors and provide follow up consultation regarding pump efficiency improvements.
- Provide training regarding water use efficiency and nutrient management practices and technology
- Grant recipients may develop training curricula and programs related to irrigation water use efficiency and nutrient management. Training may be delivered to farmers through workshops and/or virtual settings. The development of training materials for non-English speakers is a crucial need, including the development of recorded training materials that can be accessed on demand (e.g., webinar). Grant Recipients are strongly encouraged (but not required) to provide a certificate of completion to individuals who complete the training in full.
Priorities
Related to the Farmer Equity Act The Farmer Equity Act of 2017 (Assembly Bill 1348) defines a SDFR as a farmer or rancher who is a member of a socially disadvantaged group. A “socially disadvantaged group” means a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender discrimination. These groups include the following:
- African Americans
- American Indians
- Alaskan Natives
- Hispanics
- Asian Americans
- Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
- Female farmers and ranchers of color
Funding and Duration
- Through this solicitation CDFA will award up to $14.25 million to eligible organizations.
- The grant term will be 3 years.
- The maximum award amount is $500,000.
- CDFA reserves the right to offer an award different than the amount requested.
- Funds are distributed on a reimbursement basis following submission of quarterly invoices by the awardee.
- Grant funds may not be expended prior to execution of the grant agreements for awarded projects, or after the completion of the grant agreement term.
Eligibility Criteria
The following entities are eligible to apply for WETA grants:
- Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs)
- University of California, California Community Colleges or California State Universities
- Non-profits
- Federally- and California-Recognized Native American Indian Tribes
Entities applying for WETA grants must have demonstrated expertise in on-farm irrigation water and energy use efficiency standards, evaluation and implementation of efficient practices and/or on-farm nutrient management. Lead applicants are encouraged to partner with groundwater sustainability agencies, irrigation districts, and/or water quality coalitions to address local concerns and utilize existing outreach networks.
Entities receiving grant award funds must be in California with a physical California business address.
CDFA encourages applications from organizations who serve small to mediumsized operations and/or socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers and farmworkers (AB 1348, Aguiar-Curry, 1017). Past awardees to the WETA program are eligible to reapply and will be given the opportunity within the application to explain the need for additional funding and how further funding will result in a new project or enhance the existing project.
For more information, visit CDFA.
