Conservation and climate-smart agriculture focus of investment
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a historic $1.5 billion for 92 partner-driven conservation projects through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. Partners will provide $968 million in contributions to amplify the impact of the federal investment. Selected RCPP projects will help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners adopt and expand voluntary, locally led conservation strategies to enhance natural resources while tackling the climate crisis.
“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is an example of public-private partnership at its best,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The projects support priorities in conservation and climate and can save farmers money and increase productivity. For example, there are six projects that support use of innovative technologies to reduce enteric methane emissions in livestock. There are also 16 projects that address water conservation in the West, ensuring producers and communities have the tools they need to adapt in the face of continued drought pressures. And 42 projects promote terrestrial wildlife habitat conservation and restoration, as directed by the recent USDA Secretarial memo: Conserving and Restoring Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Connectivity and Corridors.
NRCS also set aside $100 million for Tribal-led projects, part of a broader effort to support Tribes and Tribal producers through NRCS conservation programs. From this set aside, NRCS has made seven awards to five different tribes and tribal entities.
By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation.
Examples of projects include:
The InterTribal Buffalo Council will work to restore and manage native grasslands ecosystems utilizing buffalo and conservation practices on 83-member tribal nation’s lands across three projects in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming. This project will work to restore cultural and spiritual practices, sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse emissions.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will address emissions of greenhouse gases contributing to climate change and water quality degradation. The primary goals of this project are to reduce enteric emissions from dairy cows and to improve manure management at the farm level.
The Arizona Association of Conservation Districts will fund two agricultural conservation easements in Arizona while addressing resource concerns related to drought, wildfire and climate uncertainty. Partners intend to increase the protection of biodiversity via the permanent protection of more than 2,000 acres of historic ranchland and open space, among other activities.
Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development will work to restore streambanks and establish riparian buffers in western North Carolina to improve water quality, enhance wildlife habitat, promote sustainable agriculture, sequester carbon and build strong community partnerships to ensure long-term environmental, social, and economic benefits for the region.
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities will work to prevent at-risk plant and animal species from becoming listed under the federal Endangered Species Act as threatened or endangered. To ensure habitat protection, RCPP funds will be used for a combination of U.S.-held and entity-held permanent conservation easements.
For more information, please see the list of all the 92 awarded projects.