The Caribbean Area NRCS relies on many partners to help set conservation goals, work with people on the land, and provide services. Our partners are from both the public and private sector and include conservation districts; resource conservation and development (RC&D) councils; local communities; state and Federal agencies; NRCS Earth Team volunteers; agricultural, conservation, and environmental groups; agribusiness; and professional societies.
The Caribbean Area's 18 Conservation Districts are the heart of the conservation delivery system and serve as the "bridge of trust" between NRCS and the private landowner. These units of local government, organized by citizens under state law, operate on the premise that local people know the most about local needs. NRCS and Conservation Districts are bound together by mutual conservation objectives, as well as by legislation and formal agreements between state governors and the Secretary of Agriculture. Districts do more than link NRCS with their neighbors and with local priorities for soil and water conservation. They support conservation work with district programs, often funded by municipalities and state conservation agency partners.
RC&D Councils are also locally organized. Local people create and organize their own RC&D areas, define and set their own goals, and work with a broad range of public and private entities to achieve their objectives. They work to improve their economy and the environment through the conservation, development, and sustainable use of their resources, both natural and human. RC&D projects provide practical solutions for community development, land conservation, environmental enhancement, and water management. RC&D councils help make communities better places to live.
Earth Team volunteers work in NRCS offices and on agency and partnership projects. They work on the land and in conservation education programs in schools and communities across the Caribbean Area. The USDA-NRCS Earth Team volunteer program provides the opportunity to learn and work towards good land stewardship. Volunteers work on a number of activities, including providing technical assistance (planning and application) in the field, conservation education & outreach, assisting with implementation of Farm Bill programs and incentives, and special projects with partners and educational institutions at all levels. The Earth Team is an opportunity for Caribbean Area residents to share their commitment to service and land stewardship. For more information, please contact Caribbean Area Earth Team Volunteer Coordinator, Hilton Miró, at 787-766-5206 x. 126.
The Caribbean Area State Technical Committee serves as an advisory body to NRCS and other agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for implementation of natural resource conservation provisions in the Farm Bill. The State Technical Committee includes members from a wide variety of natural resource and agricultural interests, such as: Federal and State natural resource agencies, agricultural and environmental organizations and agricultural producers, and is chaired by the NRCS State Conservationist.
Technical Service Providers (TSP), are individuals, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, or public agencies outside of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) who have received certification by the Natural Resources Conservation Service to provide technical services to landowners or producers who participate in USDA conservation programs.
NRCS partners with other USDA agencies on resource inventories and to coordinate research and programs, develop conservation technology, and provide information and outreach. NRCS also works closely with other Federal agencies on resource conservation issues.
The cooperation between local government agencies and NRCS in the Caribbean Area has produced many benefits that could not have been achieved by each agency operating independently. Among these benefits are a greater awareness by personnel from both agencies of the relationship between soil conservation and wildlife habitat quality, more emphasis on total farm resource planning, and a greater concern for the issues of soil erosion and habitat loss.
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