Soil conservation programs america

Researchers reviewed the farm projects that received EQIP funding between and and found that those with the greatest potential to improve soil and environmental health represented between 2 and 27 percent of the total dollars spent.

Beyond hype and buzz, however, many in the science and agriculture communities are pointing to soil health as key to helping farms navigate the coming decades.

And, as the incoming Biden administration has pledged to make climate change mitigation a central facet of its agriculture agenda, some in the conservation world see a potential opening. EQIP, which has been around since , is a cost-share program that was originally designed to deliver improved water quality, increase soil health, create wildlife habitat, and mitigate against drought and weather volatility.

But as the authors of the new study found, it has often strayed from those goals in recent years. The study found that some EQIP-supported practices can be bad for soil health, such as deep tillage, which reclaims toxic soils but may create significant erosion. For example, EQIP supports only about 10 percent of the cover crops farmers plant, which as of was roughly 15 million acres, despite the fact that they have been shown to bring a range of soil and water quality benefits.

Some states, however, have made more direct support for cover crop adoption a priority. The study also found that some practices supported by EQIP are generally considered counterproductive to soil health. While it may bury toxic compounds, such as heavy metals, deep tillage often leads to significant erosion. EQIP has generally been a popular program with farmers. Between and , more than , farmers and ranchers received contracts to support conservation efforts on more than million acres.

But when you look at the top 10 practices—including water storage facilities, irrigation systems, fencing, or livestock pipelines—six were related to building or improving structures and facilities; not many were farm field practices supporting soil health, adds Tully.

Tim Gibbons, communications director for the farm member organization Missouri Rural Crisis Center , pinpoints the Farm Bill as the moment when EQIP veered from its original conservation intent into something broader. In , federal EQIP funding going to livestock operations was reduced from 60 to 50 percent. But public dollars are still going to offset the waste management costs of industrial livestock operations—something Gibbons and others find troubling given the hidden environmental costs of CAFOs.

As Gibbons sees it, independent producers are more likely to steward their land to be more resilient in the face of extreme weather. For example, farmer Ron Rosmann did explore using EQIP dollars to put in a pond recently, in hopes of irrigating his crops as the climate changes. He says the NRCS approach is often inflexible, and projects often spiral in scope—with the result that a few big projects inevitably end up competing with each other for the available money.

As a result, the money may not generate the biggest conservation bang for the buck. Soil conservation also creates economic opportunity. Productive and healthy soil helps farmers meet increased demand for agricultural commodities from a growing global population, driving economic growth. Tilling turns over about 10 inches of topsoil and allows farmers to plant more seeds with less effort. A downside of tilling is that it removes the plant covering, potentially leaving the soil bare, decreasing the amount of nutrient-rich organic matter, and reducing its ability to absorb water and retain nutrients.

Tilling can also make the soil more susceptible to erosion. In no-till farming, seeds are planted in narrow furrows, eliminating the need to plow. No-till farming protects the soil from moisture loss due to high temperatures because cover crop residue remains on the surface of the soil.

The residue layer also helps infiltrate water into the soil and increases organic matter and microorganisms , further enriching the soil. Terrace farming is an agricultural practice that uses terraces, or steps, built into the slopes of hilly or mountainous areas to create a water catchment system for crops and is commonly used in growing rice.

Rainwater carries nutrients and vegetation from one terrace to the next, so the soil remains healthy. Terrace farming also reduces soil erosion and improves soil productivity in otherwise idle plots of land. Like terrace farming, contour farming involves growing crops on hills, but instead of changing the structure of a hill, the farmer uses its natural slope.

The U. Instead of planting the same crop year after year on the same plot of land, crop rotation involves planning out growing seasons for different crops. This method of sustainable agriculture requires long-term planning, with crops changed every season. In addition to improving soil health and organic matter, crop rotation reduces the need for fertilizer and pesticides, lowering costs.

It also helps prevent excess chemicals from entering water supplies, improving water quality. Windbreaks are rows of trees and bushes planted between fields of crops, reducing the erosive power of the wind on the soil.

Windbreaks also provide homes for living things. From an economic standpoint, using trees that produce fruits and nuts in windbreaks can diversify farm income. They also act as buffers, protecting farmlands from floods. Like windbreaks, buffer strips are designated areas of land planted with trees and bushes. Instead of protecting soil from the wind, their purpose is to prevent water runoff and reduce erosion. In areas where soil has degraded, the reestablishment of forest cover can improve soil and restore ecosystem health.

This method provides shade for crops and is particularly useful for forest farming , which cultivates high-value crops, such as those used for medicinal purposes.

Earthworms are among the most productive organisms in soil. They digest plant matter, releasing essential nutrients into the soil, and their tunnel networks create air channels that help water move through the soil. Unsustainable agricultural practices can affect soil health, which in turn affects the global climate cycle. Poorly managed soil can release excess carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

Restoring degraded soil and using soil conservation practices in agriculture can effectively sequester carbon, helping build resilience to the effects of climate change. Soil conservation also promotes sustainable and economic development to meet the U. Building the resilience of our ecosystems is critical to addressing the challenges of a changing climate. One key factor sits right under our feet: soil. Through soil conservation, we can work to minimize the impact of climate change and support the long-term needs of society.

Skip to main content. Apply Program Guide. Threats to soil conservation The primary threats to soil conservation are climate change and traditional farming practices , according to the United Nations. Chemical contamination The use of pesticides can contaminate the soil, as well as nearby vegetation and water sources, with harmful chemicals.

These programs differ, however, in that they require the land to remain under agricultural production. Historically, land retirement programs have dominated the conservation program landscape.

In recent years, however, working lands programs have become more prevalent. The Conservation Reserve Program CRP is a land retirement program designed to remove millions of acres of environmentally sensitive and highly erodible land from agricultural production. The program provides technical and financial assistance to producers to address soil, water, and related natural resource concerns on their lands in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner. The predominate focus of CRP is to dramatically reduce the amount of soil erosion derived from agricultural production.

Under CRP, producers enter into contracts for 10 to 15 years. Currently, over 22 million acres of agricultural lands are enrolled in CRP. The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program ACEP provides financial and technical assistance to help conserve agricultural lands, wetlands, and grasslands through conservation easements. The Agricultural Land Easements component of the program allows the NRCS to help American Indian tribes, state and local governments and non-governmental organizations protect working agricultural lands and limit non-agricultural uses of the land.