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 Potential partners are encouraged to submit
proposals that will improve the nation's water quality, combat
drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and
protect agricultural viability.
RCPP eligible partners include private industry, non-government
organizations, state and local governments, soil and water
conservation districts, universities, and more. Partners may
request between $250,000 and $10 million in RCPP funding through
this funding announcement. Leveraging of this NRCS funding is a
key principle of RCPP; partners are expected to make value-added
contributions to amplify the impact of RCPP funding.
“The new RCPP offers opportunities for partners and NRCS to
develop and implement unique conservation solutions that engage
farmers, ranchers and forest landowners,” NRCS Chief Matthew
Lohr said. “A single RCPP project can include just about any
Farm Bill conservation activity that NRCS is authorized to carry
out. We’re really looking forward to what our partners across
the Nation propose to do with these new flexibilities.”
State Conservationist Ivan Dozier shares Chief Lohr’s
enthusiasm. “We’ve already seen firsthand what RCPP and partners
can do here in Illinois. NRCS funds last fiscal year were
leveraged with those from Illinois partners for approximately
$6.4 million,” Dozier explains. “The goal was to help farmers
adopt conservation practices using a targeted approach. The idea
of combining federal dollars with private is a game-changer,”
Dozier adds.
The first iteration of RCPP, which was created originally by the
2014 Farm Bill, combined nearly $1 billion in NRCS investments
with close to $2 billion in non-NRCS dollars to implement
conservation practices across the Nation. There are currently
375 active RCPP projects that have engaged close to 2,000
partners. The 2018 Farm Bill made substantive changes to the
program to make it more straightforward for partners and
producers.
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Previously, in the 2014 Farm Bill, RCPP derived much
of its funding from other NRCS conservation programs, such as the
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). RCPP is now a
stand-alone program with its own dedicated funding, simplifying
rules for partners and producers. Additionally, the 2018 Farm Bill
reduces the number of funding pools to make the submission and
approval process easier.
Today’s announcement soliciting applications marks
the first step in the implementation of the new RCPP. Later this
fall, NRCS will publish a rule in the Federal Register that will
establish the policies for the program and further outline the
funding process. In addition, the RCPP Alternative Funding
Arrangement provision will be implemented through a separate funding
announcement following publication of the RCPP rule. Up to $300
million is available for RCPP projects for fiscal 2019.
Successful RCPP projects provide innovative conservation solutions,
leverage partner contributions, offer impactful and measurable
outcomes, and are implemented by capable partners. Illinois’ RCPP
projects are helping to address important resource concerns in
response to local needs. “What other ideas do partners have that can
improve water quality or soil health or solve other natural
resource-related issues we face here in Illinois?” Dozier asks.
USDA is now accepting proposals for RCPP. Proposals are due December
3, 2019. For more information on applying, visit the RCPP webpage or
view the Application for Program funding on grants.gov.
[Paige Buck
Public Affairs Officer
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service]
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