The Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District empowers local farmers to feed our community more sustainably.

Agricultural Conservation Advisor Adriana Murguia assists farmers in our service area for free. Services include:

• Technical assistance: Healthy soils management, irrigation efficiency, cover crops, native plant hedgerows, agricultural easements, and more
• Survey of needs: To best provide these services, we need to know what community members need from us. Fill out a survey in English or Spanish here​​​​​​
• Inclusion in “Fresh and Local”: The free, award-winning guide raises public awareness about the benefits of local foods, where to buy them and how to grow them. It includes directories of farm stands, resources for farmers and more

Contact Adriana at Adriana.Murguia@rcrcd.org or 951-683-7691.

Download agricultural services flyers in English and Spanish here: 

RCRCD has been helping local farmers conserve natural resources since it was founded in 1953.

According to the 2023 Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner's Crop Report, vegetables, melons and other specialty crops were the number one agricultural category in the region, with a gross production value of $378 million dollars. Nursery stock maintained its place as the second leading most valuable crop at $358 million dollars and reported an increase of 12.4% from 2022. Tree and vine took the third spot at $299 million dollars reporting a 10.6% gain over the previous year.

The impact of diminishing agricultural lands continues to be felt as most of the agricultural land is converted to residential and commercial uses, in part, as a result of the high cost of energy, water, and land. The farmland that remains is mostly small acreage estates and hobby farms, usually 5 acres or less. There is a trend in small organic farming within the district and interest is growing for more locally available produce products at farmer’s markets and restaurants.

The RCRCD supports local agriculture in a variety of other ways:

• Identifying local growers that are interested in supplying food for the local economy
• Connecting growers to consumers by developing and distributing a "Fresh and Local Guide"
• Developing programs for preserving local agriculture and high quality soils and farmlands
• Promoting the use of conservation easements and fee-title donations of land
• Providing information to farmers and growers about soils and best management practices (BMPs) that assist with maintaining soil quality and health
• Assisting landowners with erosion control, non-point source pollution, and assessing flood damage potential
• Conducting irrigation audits
• Developing an inventory of agricultural and urban ag lands and updating important farmland mapping
• Supporting new farmer training with partners such as Grow Riverside, Inland Empire Food Systems Alliance, and others