Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Small Grants Program

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Small Grants Program is sponsored by UC SAREP. Funds projects that support the development of sustainable farming and food systems, focusing on environmentally regenerative practices and food system resilience.

## **UC SAREP Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Small Grants Program** The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP) hosts an annual request for proposals for our Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Small Grants Program.

The program funds planning, research, and education projects that support the development of sustainable community food systems and environmentally-sound and economically viable farming enterprises. ### **UC SAREP’s 2026-2027 Grant Recipients** We are pleased to announce the recipients of theSustainable Agriculture and Food Systems 2026-27 Small Grants Program.

This year’s request for proposals brought in over 80 applications requesting nearly$900,000. After the review process, nine projects were selected for funding, together receiving $100,000 to support their work strengthening California’s sustainable agriculture and food systems. The next annual small grant request for proposals is scheduled to be released in October.

_**Join us in congratulating this year’s grant recipients:**_ Domena Agyeman, **UCCE-Butte, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources**, to evaluate the economic performance of conventional water-seeded and alternative no-till rice production systems in California.

Cameron Castenda, **Saba Grocers,**to design and launch a collective marketing package that promotes healthy, locally grown food in corner stores located in underserved communities with limited access to fresh produce. Sandy Fisher, **Golden State Linen,**to support growers in piloting regenerative fiber flax production practices, learning processing techniques and developing innovative products for emerging markets.

Joshua Garcia, **University of California, Merced,**to assess the effects of biochar and compost on lead bioavailability, soil health and crop performance in urban agricultural soils. Cassandra Nguyen, **University of California, Davis,**to increase the use of evidence-based policy, systems, and environmental strategies at farmers markets to increase reach to low-income households.

Dan Potter & Heather Hayashi, **University of California, Davis,**to establish ethical institutional readiness for Indigenous-led Native plant foods education and stewardship through student-centered learning. Stephanie Rawlings, **Gill Tract Farm Coalition,**to create an Education Center for Collaborative Urban Farming where volunteer farmers learn agroecology skills and grow food for local communities.

Manpreet Singh, **UCCE-Fresno, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources**, to investigate reducing plastic mulch waste in the San Joaquin Valley through sustainable mulch alternatives and end-of-life options for plastic mulch. Katherine Soule, **UCCE-San Luis Obispo, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources** to provide education on food safety and preservation expanding access to healthy, local and culturally appropriate foods.

### Grant Program Timeline & Overview * Application deadline: January * Project period: May 1 - April 30 **Funding Priority Areas** **Priority Area 1:**Support California’s farmers, ranchers, and land stewards of all scales in piloting and transitioning to: * environmentally regenerative approaches to producing crops and livestock (including but not limited to soil health, organic and agroecological practices, integrated pest management, crop diversification); * pathways for realizing economic return from ecologically-sound crop management practices and fair labor practices; * marketing and distribution strategies that support diversified, decentralized, and locally-based supply chains; * strategies that promote producer-to-producer networking and/or producer-to-supply chain networking.

**Priority Area 2:**Support California’s rural, urban, and Tribal communities in identifying and implementing strategies to: * expand access to healthy, sustainably produced, culturally appropriate foods; * ensure worker wellbeing across the food chain; * minimize the community and environmental costs of food production and distribution; * strengthen connections between consumers and producers; * establish and strengthen producer-to-producer connections and producer-to-supply chain connections.

Eligible applicants include: * farm or food system businesses operating in California * non-profit, tax-exempt organizations operating in California * state and local government agencies, tribal governments, and * California public and private institutions of higher education. **Funding Availability &Proposal Categories** Individual grants will be limited to a maximum of $10,000, with _one_ Applied Research Grant awarded up to $20,000.

Proposals are requested for three types of projects: * _**Education and Outreach Grants**_ * _**Applied Research Grants**_ _**Sample RFP from previous grant cycle**_ ### **History and Past Grant Recipients** From 1987 to 2012, and resuming in 2020, the program has funded nearly $9 million in research projects, education and demonstration programs of research-based technologies and systems, and projects that support the development of sustainable community food systems.

_Our past grant recipient database is currently under redevelopment as part of the UC ANR transfer to the Integrated Web Project. Pleaese check back for updates in the future. _