Funded through a grant from CDFA and commissioned by the Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation (OEFI), Dr. Nick Babin of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo led the first third-party evaluation of CDFA’s Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) programs. This evaluation covers the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP), the Healthy Soils Program (HSP), the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) and the State Water Efficiency Enhancement Program (SWEEP). The assessment aimed to understand participant experiences, document challenges and identify opportunities for program improvement.
Key findings from the evaluation:
- Water Supply Concerns: Over 80% of Healthy Soils Program participants were moderately to highly concerned about the impact of water supply on the viability of their farming operation (pg. 43)
- Motivation for Soil Health: 62% of Healthy Soils Program participants were motivated to participate in the program to improve soil health (pg. 43)
- Compost Use and Fertilizer Reduction: 52% of Healthy Soils Program participants were able to reduce fertilizer inputs with use of compost (pg. 52), however 61% of experienced growers stated they disagree to strongly disagree that compost can function as a temporary substitute for fertilizer.
- Cover Crop Challenges: The biggest challenge with cover crops was the poor germination and establishment (pg. 63)
Additional findings are available on pages 22,29, 31,38, 40, 66, 75 of the evaluation, found here.
