CDFA ANNOUNCES PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ON THE GRANT SOLICATION FOR THE SUSTAINABLE CALIFORNIA GROWN CANNNABIS PILOT STUDY

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SACRAMENTO, March 14, 2022 - The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting public comment on a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Sustainable California Grown Cannabis pilot study (SCGC).  Comments will be accepted through April 14, 2022, 5 PM PST.

One of the goals of regulating cannabis in California is to assess potential environmental benefits that may be associated with cultivation. Greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reduction, sustainable land use, and soil health benefits are some of these. The SCGC pilot study will fund projects to collect data from the industry to determine best management practices for outdoor cannabis cultivation. 

Funds will be awarded through a competitive grant process and distributed to not-for-profits, academic institutions, federal and university experiment labs and stations, Resource Conservation Districts, federal and California-recognized Native American Indian Tribes, and local cultivator organizations in collaboration with California entities eligible for the pilot study. CDFA encourages applications from organizations who serve small to medium sized and socially disadvantaged California food producers and farmworkers, including but not limited to BIMPOC (Black, Indigenous, Multiracial, and People of Color), LGBTQ+, women and veterans.

The draft RFP for the SCGC pilot study is available for review and public comment at the following link:   https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/scgc

Public comments are due on April 14, 2022 by 5 PM PST. Late submissions will not be accepted. Public comments can be submitted by email to CannabisAg@cdfa.ca.gov or by mail to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation, 1220 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

California’s three cannabis programs were merged to form a single new state department called the Department of Cannabis Control in 2021. However, CDFA still supports two cannabis cultivation programs, including the Cannabis Appellations Program (CAP) and the OCal Cannabis Certification Program. Like OCal and CAP, the SCGC is a voluntary program for cannabis cultivators.

CDFA will hold one workshop to provide information on the draft SCGC RFP pilot study. Participants may attend, at no cost, by registering for webinar access:

• Tuesday, April 12, 2022 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST

Registration link: Webinar Registration - Zoom

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