Role 1: Small Farm Water Usage Data Analysis

Agricultural Data Science / Environmental Science

Monitoring gaps or inaccurate water use data can carry real consequences for small-scale farmers. Many small farmers lack the time, staff, or resources to actively engage with Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) and ensure that their groundwater use is being tracked accurately. Barriers in communication can mean some farmers are unable to access groundwater data and required reporting platforms. 

For subbasins where SGMA implementation includes groundwater allocations, these depend on accurate data to determine how much groundwater each farm is pumping. The remote sensing tools used for this determination may struggle to accurately capture the water use of specialty crops or the highly diversified operations of many small farms. It’s often difficult to find publicly available information on who is using groundwater in a subbasin, and how that water use is broken out by farm size or crop type. Identifying data trends and gaps will allow us to support small-scale farmers and reduce the likelihood that they bear a disproportionate burden from allocations, assessments, or land fallowing requirements.

This fellow will support data analysis efforts to help address gaps in how small-scale farm water use is defined, measured, and represented in California. This includes efforts to identify the breakdown of groundwater use in critically overdrafted subbasins, improving visibility of small farm groundwater use, and generating insights that support more equitable groundwater allocation and reporting systems. The fellow will work with publicly available data including but not limited to: SGMA data viewer, California Groundwater Live, and GSA records.

• Graduate student of Data Science, Environmental Science, Sustainable Food Systems, or similar fields. 
• Strong quantitative analysis and data management skills.
• Experience with geospatial analysis, and working with incomplete or inconsistent datasets.
• Familiarity with agricultural water systems, irrigation practices, diversified cropping systems and their measurement challenges, and understanding of SGMA policies.
• Translating technical data into accessible insights for non-technical audiences.

1. Inventory and assessment of existing datasets on small farm water use, including gaps and limitations.
2. Data analysis report with visualizations and summary of key findings, including trends and information gaps.
3. Practitioner-facing brief outlining actionable steps for GSAs and partner organizations.

Role 2: Rewarding Groundwater Conservation Practices

Environmental Science / Agronomy Research

Farms of all sizes are looking for ways to better conserve water resources as they adapt to the potential of decreased groundwater access. This can include irrigation technologies, soil health practices, and other land management strategies to reduce irrigation needs. As GSAs examine demand management strategies, the focus is often on increasing supply of groundwater via recharge or reducing demand. Examples of GSAs rewarding farmers for positive practices that reduce their water use are less common, but could be an important piece of working with the agricultural community 

Rewarding positive production practices can help farmers to see a way to positively contribute to groundwater sustainability efforts, while ensuring that land stays in production. .

The fellow will identify and evaluate agricultural practices that contribute to groundwater sustainability and ecological health, with a focus on how small and underserved farmers are already implementing stewardship-based approaches. They will assess opportunities to design or strengthen incentive mechanisms that reward these practices, helping shift SGMA implementation toward systems that support farmer viability and environmental outcomes.

• Graduate student of Agricultural Economics, Environmental Science or similar fields.
• Understanding of SGMA and groundwater sustainability strategies, like groundwater recharge, ecosystem services, and soil health practices.
• Literature review and applied research synthesis.
• Familiarity with on-the-ground farming practices, and ability to connect ecological outcomes with practical farm management decisions.
• Economic analysis basics (cost-benefit, incentive structures for farmers).

1. Review of agricultural practices that support groundwater sustainability and soil health.
2. Case studies of small farms implementing positive stewardship practices, and identification of barriers preventing adoption of these practices.
3. Recommendations for GSAs and partners on incentive design (financial and non-financial) for rewarding positive agricultural practices within SGMA contexts.

Role 3: Groundwater Rights Legal Resources

Legal Research / Resource Development

Small farmers can face particular risks when there are legal disputes over the right to groundwater. It is extremely costly and difficult to find an attorney with water expertise who is willing to take on the case of a small farmer. Groundwater adjudication cases often take place out of the county, which can pose a challenge to farmers who might struggle to attend relevant court processes. Most small farmers cannot afford specialized legal counsel and are often unaware of available resources. Without careful safeguards, these processes can threaten the viability of small farms. As SGMA implementation expands, increased enforcement of requirements and response from large growers may lead to more cases of adjudications. 

Working with our partners and ongoing efforts of the UC Davis Small Farm Water Justice Legal Clinic, this fellow will research, compile, and organize a comprehensive database of attorney resources, legal aid clinics, and pro bono options for farmers facing adjudication proceedings. They will explore lessons learned from ongoing adjudications of groundwater in California. The fellow will explore strategies for ensuring that small farms have equitable representation in groundwater adjudications. 

• Graduate student of Law, and other similar fields. Strong interest in environmental, water, agriculture or public interest law.
• Familiarity with California water law (e.g., SGMA, AB 1466), court processes, adjudications, and administrative law.
• Equity-focused analysis, particularly barriers faced by small and underserved farmers.
• Stakeholder engagement with legal aid organizations, attorneys, and advocacy groups.
• Research synthesis and database development.
• Ability to communicate legal concepts clearly to practicians and non-legal audiences.

1. Database of groundwater-related legal resources (attorneys, clinics, pro bono services).
2. Geographic and/or issue-based directory to help farmers identify relevant legal support.
3. Outreach materials to help farmers navigate and access legal resources, and a guide explaining groundwater adjudication processes and farmer rights.

Role 4: Market Development & Crop Transitions

Agricultural Economics / Agronomy / International Cooperative Development 

Even with more equitable groundwater policies and programs, some small-scale farm operations will not remain viable under future water constraints and SGMA-related pressures in their current modes of operation. There is a need for structured transition pathways for farmers who, despite limited water use, lack the financial or technical capacity to adapt to reduced groundwater availability with their current water usage. 

Transition pathways should enable low-water-impact, highly vulnerable, and community-benefiting farms to pivot farm businesses in ways that protect their well-being. There is an opportunity to support equitable transitions that preserve rural livelihoods, land stewardship, and small farming communities. CAFF seeks to support continued working lands that enable sustainable groundwater usage and management. 

This fellow will use an international lens to research past and existing state-sponsored initiatives that support crop transitions through market development, processing structure, and other resources. The fellow will analyze these case studies to inform the development of transition and market structures for California crop systems and practices that require less or no irrigation. They will consider a full range of factors that contribute to support needs for substantial changes in market access, technical expertise, labor training, and upfront investment. The fellow will compare structures that could include short-term income-transition subsidies, targeted educational programs, and state sponsorship of market connection opportunities.

• Graduate student of Agricultural Economics, Cooperative Development, Agronomy, or similar fields.
• Knowledge of crop systems and agronomy, especially low-water or dryland crops.
• Familiarity with market analysis, value chain development, cooperative development and alternative market structures.
• Analysis of farm viability, transition costs, and income stabilization strategies.
• Familiarity with public funding mechanisms, subsidies, and state-sponsored programs.
• Ability to synthesize complex economic and agronomic data into actionable insights.

1. Analysis of potential crops and production systems suited to reduced or no irrigation in California.
2. Case studies highlighting successful transition pathways (e.g., shifts to low-water crops, alternative markets, cooperative processing models).
3. Assessment of barriers to crop transitions, including financial risk, market access, labor, and infrastructure gaps.
4. Practitioner-facing resources for supporting small farm transitions, including recommendations for market-building strategies.

Role 5: Cooperative land strategies

Natural Resources / Cooperative Development

California’s agricultural landscape is undergoing rapid transformation as SGMA drives reductions in groundwater use, particularly in regions dominated by permanent crops like orchards. Many of these large-scale plantings were established under conditions of relatively stable water access, but are now increasingly difficult to sustain. Full orchard removal or unmanaged fallowing can lead to economic loss, land degradation, and missed opportunities for more adaptive land use systems.

At the same time, access to land remains one of the greatest barriers for small and beginning farmers. Large, contiguous orchard properties are often financially and operationally out of reach, while existing land transition mechanisms do not always support shared or cooperative models. Emerging approaches—such as cooperative ownership, shared infrastructure, and flexible parcelization—offer potential pathways to both redistribute land access and adapt to water constraints.

Reimagining these orchard systems into cooperatively managed landscapes, where land can be subdivided into smaller operational units and integrated with rotational fallowing, may create a more resilient and equitable agricultural model. However, there is limited guidance on how to design, finance, and implement these transitions in practice, especially in ways that align land, water, and community needs.

The fellow will explore and develop cooperative land ownership and management strategies that enable the transition of large-scale orchards into more flexible, multi-operator systems. This includes designing models for parcelizing land into cooperative sections, integrating rotational fallowing, and creating pathways for small and beginning farmers to access land while maintaining overall land and water sustainability under SGMA.

• Graduate student of Agricultural Economics, Natural Resources, Cooperative Development, or similar fields.
• Knowledge of cooperative business models and shared ownership structures.
• Understanding of water management strategies under SGMA, natural resources management, especially soil, water, and annual/perennial crop systems.
• Stakeholder engagement with farmers, landowners, and cooperative developers.
• Systems thinking to balance productivity, equity, and environmental constraints.
• Economic feasibility analysis (cost-sharing, revenue models, risk distribution).
• Ability to translate complex models into practical tools and guides.

• Landscape analysis of opportunities for converting large orchards into cooperative parcel systems.
• Case studies of existing cooperative land models (agriculture or adjacent sectors).
• Practitioner-facing toolkit for developing cooperative land strategies (guides, templates, diagrams, conceptual models).
• Policy and program recommendations to support cooperative land transitions.