The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis (OPCA) is pleased to announce grant funding available for the Biologically Integrated Farming Systems Program (BIFS).
Donor Name: California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 10/31/2022
Grant Size: $1 million
Grant Duration: 4 years
Details:
The Biologically Integrated Farming System (BIFS) program initially ran from 1995 to 2010. Projects focused on fostering farmer-to-farmer information exchange and on-farm demonstration of integrated farming practices that promote IPM and biological systems while allowing growers to maintain profitable businesses. Originally a project of Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), BIFS transitioned to a grant program administered by the University of California (UC) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), based at UC Davis. The program received supplemental funding and cooperation from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The SAREP BIFS program funded twelve projects in eleven different farming systems. The adoption of BIFS practices was found to reduce pesticide use, improve soil fertility, decrease erosion and nitrogen leaching, and increase populations of beneficial insects, fishes, birds, and game.
Projects will typically include the following three elements:
- On-farm demonstration/evaluation of an innovative, biologically-based farming system, that employs IPM strategies;
- A collaborative outreach effort for sharing technical information about the farming system with growers, PCAs, commodity groups, and others engaged in pest management, and;
- An organized program of monitoring key biological and economic variables so as to inform on-farm decision making as well as evaluate project success.
Funding Information
Total funding available is $2 million and maximum funding per project is $1 million. CDFA expects to fund two to four projects. Matching funds from industry partners, while not required, are encouraged. Projects are anticipated to begin February 2023 and last for approximately 4 years.
Eligibility Criteria
- Public or private colleges and universities, local and federal government entities including tribal governments, and non-profit organizations are eligible to apply.
- The project lead(s) and their institutions must be based in California; out-of-state collaborators are allowed.
- California state agencies may not submit proposal applications but may be listed as subcontractors on other proposals. A state agency’s share of funding may not exceed 30% of total funding. State agencies may not take the lead in project management.
For more information, visit California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
