HEALTHY SOILS PROGRAM (HSP)

Solana Center is an official Technical Assistance Provider for Healthy Soils Program Incentives Grants. The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Healthy Soils Program (HSP) provides financial assistance to California farmers, growers, and ranchers for implementation of one or more HSP agricultural management practices to improve soil health, including compost & mulch application, cover cropping, no-till methods, conservation planting, and more.

Get free assistance to apply for grant funding and implement carbon farming practices!

Solana Center is funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)CDFA to provide technical assistance to HSP program grant awardees, free of charge. 

If approved for funding, we are here to guide you through implementing your farming practices over the three-year award period as well as preparing reporting documentation for your project. If rejected, we can help review your applications for improvements for the next HSP grant cycle.

Email HSP@solanacenter.org with inquiries about the program or book a free assistance call.

Apple orchard with rows of apple trees bearing red apples, some apples fallen on the grass pathway between the rows.

CDFA's 2024 Healthy Soils Program grant solicitation period is currently closed. Sign up for Solana Center's HSP interest list to be notified when the next grant cycle is open.

The CDFA has allocated $50 million worth of HSP awards and applicants are able to receive up to $100,000 in funds for their three-year project.

The grant solicitation period is currently closed. Please sign up for Solana Center's HSP interest list to be notified when the next CDFA grant cycle is open.

Important Links for Applicants

HSP Technical Assistance

Solana Center offers the following assistance once CDFA has notified applicants of their status:

  1. Implementation assistance of awarded practices

  2. Reporting and documentation assistance

  3. Geotagging photos

  4. Communication with CDFA on behalf of farmers

  5. If not awarded, feedback on application to best prepare for grant cycle

HSP Resources

Informational Webinars for Applicants and Awardees

Solana Center presented a 3-part webinar series on compost production, use, and benefits geared toward HSP applicants and awardees. Knowledgeable speakers included Solana Center staff (Webinar 1), Dr. Craig Kolodge of San Pasqual Valley Soils (Webinar 2), and Josh Robinson of Ecology Artisans and the San Diego Sustainable Living Institute (Webinar 3).

Please enjoy the webinar recordings and associated resource lists below. Made possible through generous funding from CDFA and CA Climate Investments.

Producing Compost On-Site with the Healthy Soils Program

Compost: A Misunderstood & Under-Utilized Natural Resource for Creating Healthy Soil, Food, Water & Air Quality

Integrating Compost, Plants, & Water Catchment for Sustainable Farmscaping

Aerated Static Pile Composting

2024 Healthy Soils Program Grant Basics Informational Webinar

The four most commonly awarded healthy soil farming practices are compost, mulch, implementing native species hedgerows, and cover crops. 

Healthy Soils Program Success Stories

For nearly a decade we have guided local farmers and growers through applying for funding and implementing farming practices over three-year award periods. Read more about success stories from past HSP participants.

A man smiling in a yellow shirt and straw hat standing next to a wheelbarrow of soil in a garden with blossoming apple trees and a clear blue sky.

Healthy Soils Program is funded by California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment - particularly in disadvantaged communities.