NACD CLIMATE ACTION TASK FORCE SUBMITS LETTER TO USDA ON CLIMATE SOLUTIONS
WASHINGTON – On April 29, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Climate Action Task Force submitted a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in response to its request for comments on climate smart solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
“Climate-smart agriculture and forestry need significantly more government investment and action to meet the need of oversubscribed programs,” NACD President Michael Crowder said.
In the letter, the task force provides suggestions to USDA on how to implement the Civilian Climate Corps (CCC), reiterating the association’s ask for at least $1.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2022 discretionary funding for Conservation Operations to bolster local technical assistance.
“Conservation districts and the original Civilian Conservation Corps collaborated on programs and projects to respond to the severe soil erosion issues of the Dust Bowl and can do so again today to respond to climate challenges,” Crowder said.
The task force also emphasized building educational capacity and outreach, addressing the need for resources and funding to further develop educational and training programs for local partners. The letter emphasizes the strength of NACD’s peer-to-peer Soil Health Champions Network, which unites producers who implement soil health management systems on their operations.
Among the numerous proposals provided by the task force, which addressed rural broadband, wildfire funding, biofuels, forest products, environmental justice and more, the letter emphasized the need to center climate-smart practices around the proven success of the existing conservation delivery model.
“Working through locally-led conservation districts that have existing state legal authority to deploy resources in every community, especially those that are underserved, is the most efficient and effective way to deploy the proposed $10 billion for the CCC,” Crowder said.
Learn more about the Climate Action Task Force on NACD’s website.
About the National Association of Conservation Districts:
The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state and territory associations and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For more than 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit: www.nacdnet.org.
