Environmental Risk Assessment Tool
Introduced by California and Arizona LGMA in 2023, the Environmental Risk Assessment Tool (voluntary for LGMA members to use) is currently formatted as an Excel spreadsheet (click here to download). The tool requires the user to look at the following adjacent land uses and hazards (Table 0 in the Metrics):
• Animal Operations
• Compost/Soil Amendment Operations
• Non-leafy green crops
• Water Source and Systems
• Urban Settings
• Other Environmental Considerations
After hazards and risk considerations are entered by the user, the tool will assign a risk result rating. The user will then enter mitigations that were taken to address the potential hazard prior to planting. Based on the mitigations entered, the tool will adjust the risk rating based on pre-assigned mitigation values. These mitigation values were assigned in the tool depending on the impact those mitigations have on lowering the risks to the field.
Arizona LGMA has created a series of videos on YouTube that provide training on how to use the tool. You can find them all here: Environmental Risk Assessment Tool - YouTube
An introduction video on how to use the tool can be found below: