WASHINGTON, June 14, 2017 - USDA’s National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will invest $22.6 million in 33 projects through the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. Originally included in the 2002 farm bill, the CIG program aims to “work with other public and private entities to accelerate transfer and adoption of promising technologies and approaches to address some of the nation’s most pressing natural resource concerns,” according to a release. As part of the program, public and private grantees, ranging from NGOs, American Indian tribes, academic institutions and local government, will at least match the federal investment.
More than $5 million will be invested in 10 projects that will benefit historically underserved farmers, ranchers and forest owners. Other projects include analyzing natural resource data, incorporating technology into water management, and conservation finance, which will incorporate a pay-for-success model to promote conservation adoption. The newly announced funding brings NRCS’s investment in the CIG program to over $287 million since 2004. To read about the selected projects, click here.
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