Location: Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems Research
Project Number: 2032-12610-002-032-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2026
End Date: Sep 15, 2027
Objective:
This agreement will strengthen knowledge transfer from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), in collaboration with USDA-funded Cooperative Extension researchers, to develop solutions that enhance resilience in California agriculture and align with the mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The project will curate and organize existing knowledge assets, with a focus on products, tools, and prototypes developed to support regenerative agriculture and related topics. Its primary objective is to support NRCS programs and other funding mechanisms that facilitate the on-farm adoption of regenerative agricultural practices.
Through this NACA, the partners will develop an outward-facing, web-based module designed for practical use by NRCS field staff, farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural stakeholders interested in regenerative agriculture as a strategy to improve resilience and reduce risk in agricultural production systems.
Approach:
Project Initiation and Stakeholder Engagement: The project will begin with a coordinated planning phase involving the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA-funded Cooperative Extension researchers, NRCS representatives, and agricultural stakeholders. This phase will establish project goals, communication protocols, and priority focus areas related to regenerative agriculture and agricultural resilience. Stakeholder engagement sessions will identify user needs, gaps in knowledge transfer, and priority decision-support functions for field staff, producers, and technical assistance providers.
Inventory and Assessment of Existing Knowledge Assets: The project team will conduct a comprehensive inventory of ARS and Cooperative Extension knowledge products relevant to regenerative agriculture. Assets may include decision-support tools, models, datasets, training materials, publications, protocols, case studies, pilot projects, and prototype technologies etc.. Resources will be evaluated for scientific credibility, usability, geographic relevance, technical readiness, and applicability to NRCS conservation programs and producer decision-making. The assessment will also identify redundancies, outdated materials, and opportunities for integration across programs and institutions.
Development of a Knowledge Classification and Curation Framework: A standardized framework will be developed to organize and classify curated resources into intuitive categories aligned with regenerative agriculture outcomes and producer issues or needs. Categories may include soil health, water management, grazing systems, pest and disease management, crop resilience, nutrient management, biodiversity, and economic risk reduction. Metadata standards and tagging protocols will improve searchability, interoperability, and long-term maintenance while ensuring accessibility for non-technical users and traceability to original research sources.
User-Centered Design of the Web-Based Module: Using a user-centered design approach, the project team will develop an outward-facing web-based module tailored to the needs of NRCS field staff, farmers, ranchers, and agricultural advisors. The platform will emphasize ease of navigation, practical usability, and rapid access to actionable information for decision support. Features may include searchable knowledge libraries, interactive decision-support tools, regionally relevant guidance and case studies, resource comparison functions, links to NRCS conservation practices and funding opportunities, and mobile-friendly accessibility for field use.
Integration with NRCS Programs and Technical Assistance Efforts: The project will align curated resources with NRCS conservation priorities and funding mechanisms supporting regenerative agriculture adoption. This includes mapping tools and knowledge assets to NRCS practice standards, EQIP opportunities, CSP objectives, and related USDA resilience initiatives. The platform will support technical assistance workflows by helping users identify practices and research-backed strategies that reduce production risk and improve long term resilience.