Pollinator Habitat Program

CEC, in partnership with the Ventura County Resource Conservation District, Cachuma Resource Conservation District, and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, was awarded a grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to support project design and implementation of pollinator habitat on farms and ranches along the Central Coast. 

Ventura and Santa Barbara counties produce a combined $5.8 billion dollars a year in agricultural goods that include citrus, avocados, grapes, berries, vegetable row crops and more. The scale and diversity of such agricultural activities are intimately linked to the health and stability of pollinator populations which are severely threatened. This project seeks to implement a shovel-ready solution to this issue by providing habitat for pollinators, thereby increasing their resiliency to environmental threats and ensuring the continued viability of the agricultural sector. Installation of pollinator habitat will also result in soil health and water saving co-benefits much needed to further stabilize agricultural activities along the Central Coast.

The CDFA Pollinator Habitat Program funds projects throughout the state to install and maintain habitat and provide critical resources for pollinator species including, but not limited to bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, and birds. There are numerous co-benefits of the program such as enhanced carbon sequestration, improved water retention in soils and overall soil health.