State Funds Nearly $1M in Grant Projects to Accelerate Adoption of Sustainable Pest Management
Julie Henderson
Director
Gavin Newsom
Governor
Yana Garcia
Secretary for Environmental Protection
SACRAMENTO - The California Department of Pesticide Regulation today announced funding for three Alliance Grants to increase the speed and the scale at which safer, more sustainable pest management is adopted across the state.
This year, DPR is investing more than $957,000 to fund three projects focused on pest management in affordable housing, and specialized training for urban and agricultural pest management professionals. Since 2007, DPR has awarded more than $8.7 million in Alliance Grants.
DPR’s Alliance Grants Program funds projects that promote integrated pest management (IPM), which is an approach that uses the least-toxic, effective method to solve pest problems. Building on the existing practice of IPM, sustainable pest management (SPM) incorporates broader considerations of human health and social equity, environmental protections, and economic viability into pest management decisions. Previously funded Alliance Grants demonstrated strong partnerships, outreach or education to promote IPM and help execute the vision of the SPM Roadmap to expand the adoption of sustainable pest management tools and practices.
"California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s Alliance Grants invest in programs that increase awareness, provide technical assistance and support knowledge sharing of integrated pest management,” said DPR Director Julie Henderson. "Our grantees this year build on the Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap’s call for outreach and education in both agricultural and urban settings to accelerate a systemwide transition to safer, sustainable practices.”
Alliance Grant Projects:
- Decreasing pesticide use in affordable housing - $321,670
Building on research conducted through a 2019 grant, Sraddha Mehta, Senior Environmental Justice Coordinator at the San Francisco Environment Department, will lead a team to develop an IPM model for affordable housing. This project will focus on increasing adoption of pest prevention techniques in affordable housing to reduce pest infestations and decrease pesticide use. The outreach will include trainings, recommendations and other assistance that can be distributed statewide. - Urban SPM apprenticeship - $172,575
Ryan Anderson, Sustainable Communities Manager at the IPM Institute of North America, will lead a team to develop an IPM apprenticeship program for urban pest management professionals. The program will provide training for prevention-based pest and weed control, and sustainable urban landscape design in Sacramento Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California. - Agricultural SPM training - $463,313
Jo Ann Baumgartner, Executive Director from Wild Farm Alliance, will provide SPM training for pest control professionals on soil nutrient management, supporting beneficial biodiversity and other projects specific to addressing pest pressures on California crops including almonds, mixed vegetables, strawberries, walnuts and wine grapes. The project will also build an online peer network where participants can share and access resources on effective, sustainable pest management.
For more information on past recipients of DPR grants, or to learn more about grant applications, please visit DPR’s Grants Program webpage.
For more information on the Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap, please visit DPR’s website.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF PESTICIDE REGULATION
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. The department achieves this mission by fostering safer, sustainable pest management and operating a robust pesticide regulatory system. DPR’s work includes registering all pesticides sold or used in California, conducting pre- and post-registration scientific evaluations of pesticides to assess and mitigate potential harm to human health or the environment for pesticides in the air and water, and enforcing pesticide use laws and regulations in coordination with 55 County Agriculture Commissioners and their 500 field inspectors.
DPR also conducts outreach to ensure pesticide workers, farmworkers and local communities have access to pesticide safety information. More information about DPR can be found on our website.
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