USDA Invests $1.5 Billion in 92 Partnership Projects, Including a Puerto Rico Beef Cattle Initiative Project, to Advance Conservation and Climate-Smart Agriculture as Part of the Biden-Harris Investing in America Agenda

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a historic $1.5 billion for 92 partner-driven conservation projects through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. Partners will provide $968 million in contributions to amplify the impact of the federal investment. The ProCarne Puerto Rico Climate-Smart Beef Cattle Initiative will receive $21,250,000 in funding. Selected RCPP projects, including the one from the Caribbean Area, will help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners adopt and expand voluntary, locally led conservation strategies to enhance natural resources while tackling the climate crisis.

Today’s investment is made with funding available through the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. The Inflation Reduction Act is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda and the largest investment in climate action and conservation in world history, which has enabled USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to boost funding for RCPP. In total, the Inflation Reduction Act provides $19.5 billion to support USDA’s oversubscribed conservation programs, including $4.95 billion for RCPP.

“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is an example of public-private partnership at its best,” said Ricardo J. Colón, Acting Director in the Caribbean Area for USDA’s NRCS. “Thanks to the boost in funding from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act we’re able to invest even more in this popular and important program and increase our conservation impact across the country, supporting our region’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners while at the same time protecting our natural resources for the future.”

“America’s working lands and forests are crucial in our fight against the climate crisis—from sequestering carbon pollution to absorbing the impact of storms and floods,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy. “Today’s awards make sure that the people who know those landscapes best—farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners—have the resources they need to lead this important work.”

The projects support priorities in conservation and climate and can save farmers money and increase productivity. For example, there are six projects that support use of innovative technologies to reduce enteric methane emissions in livestock. There are also 16 projects that address water conservation in the West, ensuring producers and communities have the tools they need to adapt in the face of continued drought pressures. And 42 projects promote terrestrial wildlife habitat conservation and restoration, as directed by the recent USDA Secretarial memo: Conserving and Restoring Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Connectivity and Corridors.

NRCS also set aside $100 million for Tribal-led projects, part of a broader effort to support Tribes and Tribal producers through NRCS conservation programs. From this set aside, NRCS has made seven awards to five different tribes and tribal entities.

By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation.

In the Caribbean Area, the ProCarne Puerto Rico Beef Cattle Initiative Project is undertaking an unprecedented initiative to empower historically underserved producers and address resource concerns in connection with greenhouse gas emission, soil degradation, excess and insufficient water, water quality, wetlands conservation, pastures conditions, livestock productivity and energy inefficiencies. By focusing on both existing ranches and prime farmland currently underused, the initiative seeks to improve farms' and farmers' resilience and adaptability to climate change. The ProCarne initiative represents a business model creating opportunity for all and setting a higher standard for sustainable climate-smart beef-cattle production in Puerto Rico.

See the list of all the 92 awarded projects here.

Projects are being awarded under both RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFA, the lead partner works directly with agricultural producers to support the development of innovative conservation approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic.

Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, RCCP has made 334 awards totaling more than $3 billion. Since its inception, RCPP has made 812 awards involving more than 4,000 partner organizations, with more than $4 billion in NRCS funding amplified by another $4 billion in partner contributions.