UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) has received a $15.1 million award to launch California’s first statewide agricultural innovation network, aimed at tackling the growing challenges of water scarcity, extreme heat, labor shortages, and fragmented innovation in the agriculture sector. This initiative is the largest award under the California Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative, part of a broader $28.6 million Jobs First investment in the state’s agricultural economy.

Led by UC ANR’s Innovate program, the network will unite nine food-producing regions across California to accelerate agtech development, support entrepreneurs, and build a future-ready workforce. It creates the infrastructure to ensure that research breakthroughs and new technologies can be rapidly tested, validated, and adopted by farms of all sizes.

The initiative includes three key components:

• Statewide Network and Investment Hub: Aligns regional priorities under one vision, guided by an advisory board of industry leaders. It will award $2 million in innovation grants, help startups navigate market barriers, and create a unified platform to boost California’s global agtech visibility.
• Entrepreneur Support Programs: Helps early-stage and market-ready agtech companies refine prototypes, test products on farms, and access investors and buyers, using a shared readiness framework.
• Workforce Investments: Provides training in automation, drone technology, and data science for farmworkers and students, helping build a skilled workforce to adopt and manage new technologies.

California’s $59 billion agricultural sector—responsible for more than one-third of U.S. vegetables and three-quarters of fruits and nuts—is facing rising threats from climate change and labor shortages. The lack of coordination between regions has slowed tech adoption, especially for small and mid-sized farms. This initiative directly addresses that gap.

By 2026, the program expects to support 200 startups, create 2,000+ jobs, and train 1,500+ individuals in agricultural technology.

“This isn’t about replacing traditional farming,” said Gabriel Youtsey of UC ANR. “It’s about giving every farmer the tools to thrive—whether they farm 10 acres or 10,000.”

Implementation begins late 2025, with full rollout of innovation programs and field demonstrations starting in early 2026.