An act to add Section 567 to the Food and Agricultural Code relating to agriculture.

This bill establishes a 3-year grant program administered by the Department of Food and Agriculture to fund technical assistance for landowners located in critically over-drafted basins in the San Joaquin Valley to achieve water use reduction goals pursuant to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The bill would require that at least 25% of the grant program funds are used to provide technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Technical assistance would include developing and implementing on-farm conservation plans for agricultural lands at risk of fallowing due to water shortages. Grants to technical assistance providers would not exceed $100,000 in each year of the 3-year program, for a maximum of $300,000 per technical assistance provider.