Climate Smart Farmer Program (South GA)

Their work to steward the land and feed communities is already extremely challenging and as they wrestle with the impact of climate change, farmers are becoming increasingly more vulnerable. They face an ever-increasing number of severe weather events and patterns, high heat, degradation of natural resources, rising pests and disease pressure.

To equip farmers with adaptation and mitigation tools that build resilience and maintain productivity in the face of climate change, Georgia Organics has partnered with McIntosh SEED to expand the Climate Smart Farmer Program, launched in its first iteration in 2023.

The new iteration of the Climate Smart Farmer Program will expand access to technical assistance to help farmers access USDA programs like NRCS EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) and USDA REAP (Rural Energy for America Program), which fund conservation agriculture and solar energy projects.

In 2025, the program will focus on in-person and virtual workshops detailing conservation practices and renewable energy, as well as technical assistance to guide farmers through the application process and provide hands-on support in bridging connections between farmers and NRCS.

The Climate Smart Farmer Program (CSFP) works with Georgia farmers to incorporate or expand their conservation agriculture practices and renewable energy projects. Georgia Organics and McIntosh SEED will assist farmers in accessing NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) resources through technical assistance on the EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) application process. Through partnership with Ag Solar Solutions, the Climate Smart Farmer Program helps farmers access information detailing how adopting solar energy on their farm can reduce their carbon footprint and improve their bottom line.