Climate Change Consortium for Specialty Crops
Climate Change Consortium – Statewide Effort (2012-2013)
In the summer of 2012 CDFA announced the formation of the Climate Change Consortium for Specialty Crops to identify solutions for climate change impacts to California's valuable specialty crop industry. The Consortium was comprised of 21 people including growers from the top ten specialty crops; agricultural association representatives and stakeholders; researchers from the University of California and California State University systems; an agricultural commissioner; a certified crop advisor/ pest control advisor; and a member of the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts. The Consortium members met for four two-day meetings over the course of six months. At each meeting the Consortium heard from various researchers working on the interface of agriculture and climate change. The Consortium was asked to assume that climate change is occurring and to make recommendations to CDFA drawing on their own backgrounds and expertise. The final report summarizes the potential impacts of climate change to California's specialty crop industry and outlines the recommendations of the Consortium.
- Final Report – Climate Change Consortium for Specialty Crops: Impacts and Strategies for Resilience
- Outreach Presentation on the Impacts of Climate Change on California's Specialty Crops
- Acknowledgements
- Summary of Recommendations
- Summary of CDFA’s Response to the Climate Change Consortium’s Recommendations – October 2016
Climate Change Consortium – Southern California Region (2019 -2020)
In 2019 CDFA partnered with the Climate Science Alliance to further the work of the Climate Change Consortium by examining regional climate impacts and gathering feedback from Southern California agricultural representatives on recommended adaptation strategies. The Climate Science Alliance employed multiple approaches, through workshops, online and mailed surveys, telephone and in-person interviews to collect insights related to on-farm adaptation strategies, research needs, planning and policy. The diversity of Southern California agriculture is reflected in the final report, which includes Imperial Valley and the Inland Deserts, South Coast and Southern San Joaquin Valley. The final report and supplementary resources are linked below:
- 2020 Climate Change Consortium for Specialty Crops: Southern California Region Report
- Informe: Los Impactos del Cambio Climático en los Cultivos Especializados
- Summary Guide to Climate Impacts on Crops
- 2020 Consortium Presentation
- Presentación del Consorcio de 2020
To disseminate the new report’s results and provide further opportunities for feedback, CDFA held two webinars at the end of July 2020 which can be viewed below.
Outcomes of Southern California Regional Climate Change Consortium Webinar
CDFA and the Climate Science Alliance present the final report and outcomes from their Southern California Regional Climate Change Consortium.
Public comment was also subsequently received on “Climate Change Consortium for Specialty Crops: Southern California Region.”
For questions please contact Michael Wolff, Sr. Environmental Scientist, at michael.wolff@cdfa.ca.gov