USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
At the Natural Resources Conservation Service, we have a proud history of supporting America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. For more than 80 years, we have helped people make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and habitat.
We also partner with local communities in many ways, such as:
- The Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program, a federal emergency recovery program which helps local communities recover after a natural disaster strikes.
- Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) which assists state and local governments and other entities protect croplands and grasslands on working farms and ranches by limiting non-agricultural uses of the land through conservation easements.
- Urban Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) grants to help local communities establish urban, community, and pollinator gardens across the state.
- Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) which support the development of new tools, practices, and technologies to further conservation.