| |
Conservation Technical Assistance
The Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program provides voluntary
conservation technical assistance to land-users, communities, units of state and
local government, and other Federal agencies in planning and implementing
conservation systems. This assistance is for planning and implementing
conservation practices that address natural resource issues. It helps people
voluntarily conserve, improve and sustain natural resources.
Objectives of the program are to:
- Assist individual land users, communities, conservation districts, and
other units of State and local government and Federal agencies to meet their
goals for resource stewardship and assist individuals to comply with State and
local requirements. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) assistance
to individuals is provided through conservation districts in accordance with
the memorandum of understanding signed by the Secretary of Agriculture, the
governor of the state, and the conservation district. Assistance is provided
to land users voluntarily applying conservation and to those who must comply
with local or State laws and regulations.
- Assist agricultural producers to comply with the highly erodible land (HEL)
and wetland (Swamp buster) provisions of the 1985 Food Security Act as amended
by the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 3801
et. seq.) and the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 and
wetlands requirements of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. NRCS makes HEL
and wetland determinations and helps land users develop and implement
conservation plans to comply with the law.
- Provide technical assistance to participants in USDA cost-share and
conservation incentive programs. (Assistance is funded on a reimbursable basis
from the CCC.)
- Collect, analyze, interpret, display, and disseminate information about
the condition and trends of the Nation’s soil and other natural resources so
that people can make good decisions about resource use and about public
policies for resource conservation.
- Develop effective science-based technologies for natural resource
assessment, management, and conservation.
Technical assistance is for planning and implementing natural resource
solutions to reduce erosion, improve soil health, improve water quantity and
quality, improve and conserve wetlands, enhance fish and wildlife habitat,
improve air quality, improve pasture and range health, reduce upstream flooding,
improve woodlands, and address other natural resource issues.
Additional Information
| |
|