A multi-agency agreement seeks to better support the conservation efforts of California’s agriculture stewards. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD), University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). Signed by agency representatives on December 8, NRCS State Conservationist Carlos Suarez said the MOA is a “recommitment to delivering comprehensive technical assistance” to farmers, ranchers, and non-industrial forestland owners.
The new agreement will pool agency resources and enable better cooperation to provide a host of tools to help farmers and ranchers to implement conservation practices. “We’ve always worked with our partners at UC ANR, NRCS, and CARCD, but this agreement is a commitment to work together in very specific ways so that we can provide robust, streamlined services and begin to fill gaps and work together to tackle the challenge that is climate change,” CDFA Secretary Karen Ross said in a press release.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are invested every year as part of improving conservation efforts of agriculture stewards. The agreement seeks to make better use of that funding to deliver more efficient conservation services to California. CARCD President Don Butz said that the signing of the MOA was a great day for the state’s farmers and ranchers. Through the agreement, agriculture stewards will have better access to services provided by each of the agencies. The MOA is aimed at aligning interests and research tracks, to improve the overall quality of services that are offered.
“This agreement will not only enhance our delivery of technical assistance, it offers a greatly expanded feedback loop to prioritize and expedite our UC research to ensure continuous improvement of practices, technologies and solutions needed by California’s specialty crops and diverse ecosystems,” UC ANR Vice President, Glenda Humiston noted.
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