Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
- Education and Training: technical assistance, workshop
- Natural Resources/Environment: carbon sequestration
Proposal abstract:
The Sacramento Valley Soil Hub (“The Hub”) is a new, region-wide collaboration between resource conservation districts (RCDs) and partners in the Sacramento Valley. The Hub, which is hosted by Colusa County RCD, coordinates an inclusive network of farmers and ranchers, technical assistance providers, researchers, educators, and industry representatives dedicated to advancing climate-friendly agriculture in California’s Sacramento Valley.
The Hub’s work centers on expanding the capacity of RCDs to support farmers and landowners with technical and financial assistance. Staff training and professional development is key to providing adequate support to farmers, but an assessment of RCD funding reveals how difficult it is for RCDs to invest in staff training. In interviews and surveying during Spring 2024, RCD leaders and staff in the region identified training as one of three top priorities in the region-wide effort to scale up climate smart agriculture (M. Flynn, personal communication, February 2024). This Professional Development grant will be used to advance agricultural professionals’ knowledge through a three-part workshop series focused on outreach and funding, carbon farm planning, and use of the climate smart agriculture toolbox developed as part of this award. A portion of the grant will provide staff compensation for job shadowing within the RCD-NRCS network to facilitate peer mentorship, allowing staff to better assist growers in their districts.
Hub partnerships with the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD), the Carbon Cycle Institute (CCI), University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) will strengthen the scope and reach of these capacity-focused trainings to expand the area of influence for this opportunity across the state. Agricultural professionals in attendance will learn from experts across farming, academia, agency, and the non-profit sector, which will enrich their learning experience and strengthen their ties within the climate smart agriculture practitioner community.
Project objectives from proposal:
Objective 1: Address the educational needs of agricultural professionals in the Sacramento Valley as identified by Sacramento Valley Resource Conservation District staff and partners.
Activity 1: Develop a 3-part workshop series focused on outreach and funding for climate smart agriculture, carbon farm planning, and an online technology toolbox hosted by the Sacramento Valley Soil Hub
Objective 2: Provide an online space to host continuous and lasting support for the Sacramento Valley Soil Hub network related to climate smart agriculture.
Activity 2: Create an online toolbox to host workshop series recordings and notes, an agriculture professional directory, guidance documents for carbon farm and conservation planning, standardized outreach materials for RCDs, best practices for material translation, and a list of ongoing funding opportunities for climate smart agriculture and carbon farm planning.
Objective 3: Register at least 20 people for each workshop.
Activity 3: Recruit participants through the Sacramento Valley Soil Hub listserv, biannual regional RCD meeting, partner meetings, and NRCS network.
Objective 4: Cultivate resource sharing in the broader RCD network, extending the area of influence of this project and fostering collaboration around technical assistance for climate smart agriculture.
Activity 4: Share online toolbox with the RCD community to reach all 95 districts throughout the state and broadly provide materials for producer education.
Objective 5: Facilitate peer education and mentorship for agriculture staff within the RCD-NRCS network.
Activity 5: Compensate early career staff for hours spent job shadowing experienced RCD and partner staff across the region.
Objective 6: Evaluate the success of the workshop series and determine any remaining areas for further development.
Activity 6: Conduct a post-event survey with attendees and a subsequent Soil Hub meeting to discuss the effect and quality of the workshop series, what content should be added to ongoing training opportunities, and what remaining questions staff have.