County Program Helps Entrepreneurial Farmer Build His Organic Business
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – After 25 years as a software engineer, Durgaprasad Ala decided to leave the Silicon Valley tech world and become an organic farmer.
Ala bought a dilapidated Gilroy farm in 2023 and began fixing it up. This spring, he expects to sell his first fruits and vegetables to local customers.
He’s pursuing his passion with the help of a $27,000 grant from the County of Santa Clara that incentivizes sustainable farming practices. Ala is using the funds from the Agricultural Resilience Incentive (ARI) Grant Program to purchase compost and cover crops.
The ARI grants are a cutting-edge initiative to support local agriculture, decrease the county’s carbon footprint, and make the region more resilient in the face of climate change.
Since it began in 2022, the program has provided $561,202 in grants to 36 growers in Santa Clara County. Grant funding may be used for compost and mulch application and 25 other pre-approved practices that improve soil health.
The application period for 2025 is open, and the County encourages ranchers and farmers to apply.
The grant is a boon for Ala, who has poured his life’s savings into his new business, called Dil Farm. Getting the land ready for production has been a long and an expensive ordeal. Ala has done almost all the work himself, including replacing a broken irrigation system.
“The ARI grants are super helpful,” Ala said. “I’ve learned that everything is expensive when you run a farm. My resources are thinning down, and I’m clinging to my last dollars, so this program helps me move forward.”
Ala grew up on a farm in India, so Dil Farm is a return to his roots. He sees his new vocation as a tribute to his parents and a way of giving back to the community.
Ala will primarily grow herbs and vegetables that are used in Indian cuisine, such as okra, sorrel, Indian cucumbers, ash gourd and ridge gourd. He aims to sell his produce at local farmers markets and then expand to online sales and grocery stores, perhaps even Costco.
Preserving farmland and ranchland benefits the regional ecosystem and is an important part of combating climate change, because these lands help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Maintaining a thriving agricultural industry will also make Santa Clara County more resistant to the impacts of climate change, which include potential disruptions to food networks.
Natural and working lands also protect property values by reducing the risks of flooding and wildfires.
Promoting sustainability is one of the top policy priorities of the County Board of Supervisors. The County has set the ambitious goal of making County operations carbon-neutral by 2030.
“The ARI Grant Program is one of those rare win-win-win situations,” said Drew Raymond, the County’s interim agricultural commissioner. “It’s a win for the farmer, a win for the soil, and a win for the businesses that either sell compost or are involved in the program’s other pre-approved practices.”
Dil Farm is located on 20 acres just east of Highway 101. The property features a chicken coop with dozens of hens, rows of tilled soil, and a garden where Ala experiments with an assortment of plants, including his beloved sorrel, with its vibrant shades of green and red.
Ala enjoys working with his hands and solving problems. It relieves the stress of building a business from scratch while providing for his family.
“When I’m out under the sun, I forget everything. I just keep working, and at the end of the day, I’m tired and I sleep well,” Ala said. “I’m going to feed a lot of people organic and healthy food, and that makes me happy.”
You can follow Ala’s progress on the Dil Farm Instagram account.
To learn more about the ARI Grant Program and how to apply, visit the program’s webpage.