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California is one of 36 global biodiversity hotspots – areas with exceptional concentrations of plant and animal species found nowhere else on the planet. At the same time, many California species are at risk of extinction due to threats from habitat loss and climate change. In October 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-82-20 which establishes a state goal of conserving 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 – known as 30×30. The 30×30 goal is intended to help accelerate conservation of our lands and coastal waters through voluntary, collaborative action with partners across the state to meet three objectives: conserve and restore biodiversity, expand access to nature, and mitigate and build resilience to climate change. 

California’s strategy to achieve 30×30 is organized into ten Pathways. Each of these pathways identifies specific state actions that will help us achieve 30×30. As of June 2025, 26.1% of California’s lands and 21.9% of its coastal waters are under long-term conservation and care. This includes an additional 853,000 acres of conserved lands and 191,000 acres of conserved coastal waters counted just this year. 

Many places that are not durably conserved or are not being managed with biodiversity as a primary goal are still essential to achieving a healthy and resilient network of conservation areas. This ties in with 30×30’s Pathway 9: Advance and Promote Complementary Conservation Measures. 30×30’s success relies on these complementary conservation measures to expand wildlife habitat, create corridors, buffer conserved areas, and much more. Our state’s working lands, including agriculture implement actions specified by this pathway. California’s farmers and ranchers are worldwide leaders and innovators in food production. They are also among the foremost stewards of California’s working lands—providing ecosystem services and supporting biodiversity. Our farmers and ranchers undertake many practices to enhance biodiversity – from planting pollinator species, growing cover crops for soil health, avoiding practices that disrupt nesting of bird species, providing winter habitat on rice fields and helping endangered species thrive to participating in large-scale habitat corridors, to name a few. California Annual Progress Report to 30×30 highlights our collective progress to 30×30. Several notable achievements involving our working lands are in the report.  

This year’s annual 30×30 Summit had a breakout session on working lands “Where Nature Works: Production and Biodiversity Together”, highlighting the importance our working lands play in conserving biodiversity and building resilience to climate change. The session was run by Michael Delbar, Chief Executive Officer of the California Rangeland Trust. The California Rangeland Trust is the largest land trust in California. He highlighted a study conducted by UC Berkley scientists, which examined the California Rangeland Trust’s conservation easements to explore the environmental and monetary value of preserving California’s open spaces. The study showed that for every dollar invested it returned $1.35 to $3.47 and that the 56 Rangeland Trust conservation easements, protecting a total of 306,781 acres, provide between $364 million and $1.44 billion in ecosystem services annually.  

Working under the guidance of Pathway 3: Increase Voluntary Conservation Easements, the California Rangeland Trust worked with the California Natural Resources Agency to identify conservation easements on private working lands managed for ecosystem health that contribute to the 30×30 target. This has led to approximately 131,000 acres of conservation easement lands added to CA Nature as 30×30 Conservation Areas. 

California and the stewards of our working lands are making great progress to achieving 30×30.  Check out 30×30 California to learn more.  

The CDFA Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS) is dedicated to supporting California’s dairy and livestock farmers in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As proof of that, the CDFA’s Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) and Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) awarded nearly $25 million in April 2025 to support the implementation of manure management projects on farms across the state. But these awards represent more than funding—they reflect months of technical work, partnership, and a shared commitment to climate-smart agriculture.  

Behind each award is a rigorous, multi-layered review process led by the dedicated OARS staff and program partners. This process is designed to be fair, transparent, and results-driven, ensuring that projects selected will lead to long-term, measurable methane reductions and maximize social, economic and environmental co-benefits, like enhanced nutrient management and alternative revenue streams from waste products. 

It begins with administrative and financial reviews to verify that applications meet the department’s requirements. Then, experts from academia all over the country conduct a comprehensive technical review, evaluating proposed projects based on their potential to reduce methane emissions and achieve other benefits.  

After that, OARS invites the input of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), comprising state and federal agency individuals with expertise in manure management, methane reduction measures, environmental impacts, and permitting in California, playing a crucial role of making sure the CDFA is selecting the best applicants within the competitive pool of candidates. In preparing the funding recommendations, OARS considers applicants’ past performance on previous grants, including their ability to complete projects on time, on budget, and deliver results. This careful and considered approach enables the selection of the most effective and impactful projects. Once the applicants are selected, the OARS team contacts each awardee and educates them on the next steps in the grant process, which are accomplished through emails, webinars, video calls, and engagement of OARS’ free-of-charge technical assistance providers when possible. 

One important note: the ideal time for public input—especially regarding scoring criteria or program rules—is during the drafting of the Request for Grant Applications (RGA), before CDFA accepts applications. Once rules are finalized and the application period begins, CDFA is unable to change them. That’s why early engagement from the public, including producers, stakeholders, and advocacy groups, is crucial to shaping a program that serves all Californians.   

By supporting manure management practices that reduce methane emissions, CDFA OARS is driving meaningful change on California’s dairy and livestock farms and supporting the state’s climate and environmental goals. These efforts are making California a better place to live and grow food, with cleaner air and water, and a more resilient agricultural industry. The state investments in climate-smart agriculture are paying dividends, and the benefits will be felt for generations to come. As the state continues to lead the way on climate action, the CDFA OARS remains committed to supporting innovative solutions that benefit the environment, the economy, and the people of California. 

Author: Roberta Franco

The OARS Technical Assistance (TA) Program is critical to realizing the OARS mission: “to use the best available science and knowledge from the agricultural community to design and implement practical solutions to California’s natural resource challenges that improve the environmental and economic sustainability of producing nutritious food, fiber, and energy.”   
 
The CSA TA Grant Program plays a key role in reducing the barriers farmers and ranchers face in accessing OARS incentive programs—especially for small-scale producers and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. By funding a statewide network of trusted organizations, OARS ensures that producers have access to direct, hands-on support that helps them build resilience and long-term sustainability in their operations. 

What Does Technical Assistance Include? 

Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs) are embedded within OARS’ Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP), State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) and Healthy Soils Program (HSP) to guide producers through every step of their participation. TAPs support farmers and ranchers as they: 

• Learn about available funding 

• Plan and design conservation or sustainability projects on their farms 

• Navigate and apply for OARS funding 

• Manage their grant awards 

• Implement and complete projects on the ground, fine-tuning to optimize benefits 

In addition to one-on-one support, TAPs also conduct outreach and education in their regions, sharing success stories that highlight the real-world benefits of OARS-funded projects, and participating in the annual CDFA OARS Technical Assistance Conference.  

While the program is designed to be robust, the amount of technical assistance a producer receives can vary depending on several factors, including program complexity, location, and the capacity of the TA provider. It’s also important to note that producers need to be proactive in communicating with their TA providers to get the most from the services available. Ideally, assistance is available for every stage shown in the OARS technical assistance framework (see figure). 

Some programs, like those focused on methane reduction, may have less technical assistance built in—mainly because these projects are often engineering-heavy and the companies doing the installations typically handle most of the planning and implementation. However, producers involved in methane-related projects can still receive technical assistance for grant management and reporting through OARS-supported providers. 

OARS represents a uniquely Californian approach to sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship. By investing in on-the-ground support and tailoring it to meet the diverse needs of California’s agricultural producers, OARS is helping lead the nation in equitable and practical climate-smart farming solutions.