Sep 3, 2025

$15M award to help connect, bolster California’s food-producing regions

The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) has been awarded $15 million from the state of California to establish an innovation network to help farmers combat water scarcity, labor shortages and other challenges.

UC ANR Innovate aims to connect California’s food-producing regions to support entrepreneurs, bolster workforce development and accelerate technology, according to a news release.

The award is part of $28.6 million in state agricultural funding.

“This award allows us to do something California has never done before: build a single, statewide engine for agricultural innovation,” Gabriel Youtsey, UC ANR chief innovation officer, said. “We will be able to seamlessly connect researchers, entrepreneurs, farmworkers and industry across major farming regions, moving ideas from the lab to the field faster than ever, and ensuring that every farmer — from small specialty growers to large-scale producers — benefits from the tools needed to stay competitive.”

California’s farming and ranching economy, which produces more than a third of the country’s vegetables and more the three-quarters of its fruits and nuts, received $59.4 billion in cash receipts for 2023 output, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. However, environmental factors including drought, extreme heat and wildfire smoke are threatening yields and increasing costs, while specialty crops and permanent orchards also face challenges from pest and disease pressure and a shortage of skilled workers.

UC ANR aims to accelerate the implementation of technologies to deal with these obstacles, especially for small and mid-sized growers. The initiative’s goal is to align regional priorities in a single network with shared industry leadership, incorporating field trials, farmer feedback and targeted innovation grants through a three-pronged effort:

• Statewide network and investment hub: Unites nine food-producing regions in a hub guided by an advisory board of growers and agricultural leaders. The hub will coordinate priorities and deploy $2 million in innovation grants while connecting startups with investors, providing tools to navigate regulatory and market barriers, and creating a statewide digital platform to enhance California agriculture visibility.
• Entrepreneur support programs: Accelerate commercialization of new technologies through two pathways. Early-stage innovators will receive support to refine prototypes, strengthen business models and prepare for regulatory approval, while market-ready companies will be able to test solutions in the field, gather farmer feedback and showcase technologies to buyers and investors.
• Workforce investments: Build the talent pipeline needed for adoption of emerging tools. Programs will provide farmworkers with training, engage students in robotics and automation, integrate drone and data science skills into classrooms and provide hands-on field experiences.

“This investment positions California at the forefront of the agricultural technology revolution,” said Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and director of GO-Biz, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. “We’re building the infrastructure for innovation that will keep California agriculture competitive for decades. These aren’t just incremental improvements; we’re talking about transformative technologies that will reshape how food is produced.”