The regional surveys assess stakeholder needs and shape regional policymaking. The regional survey was conducted in the Central Sierra region (CSR) of California, covering El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne counties, with 52 respondents. The respondents were classified as beginner (20 years) farmers selling their produce mainly at the farmers market and local processing units. The survey found that a significant proportion grows organic food (33%) along with conventional food (38%) and prefer in-person extension communication (79%). The survey recorded diverse crop production systems, including wine grapes, apples, olives, walnuts, berries, pears, vegetables, and flowers in the CSR mostly depend upon groundwater trapped in deeper fractured rock formations, followed by surface water from irrigation districts, springs, and seasonal creeks. The survey underscores the shift in interest among farmers for regenerative practices, (a) field-management, for example, irrigation mainly done by plant-based indicators, followed by calendar-based and sensor-based irrigation, showing the potential area for irrigation workshops, (b) input-management (cover crops, no-till, mulching, manure/composting, etc.), as most of them being the resource limited. Our results agree with the Intermountain Region (Utah extension personnel), who found a similar increase in interest among farmers regarding regenerative agricultural practices in a recent survey. This survey emphasizes emerging interest of (a) resource limited farmers in (b) regenerative practices, and (c) in-person extension communication.
