Pacific Islands Area Conservation Innovation Grant Program

Deadline: 5-Jun-23

U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is announcing the availability of Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) State Program funding to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies.

Applications are accepted from eligible entities for projects carried out in the Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). All non-federal entities (NFE) and individuals are invited to apply, with the sole exception of federal agencies. Projects may be between one and three years in duration. The maximum award amount for a single award in FY 2023 is $150,000.00.

Purpose

The purpose of CIG is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies in conjunction with agricultural production. CIG projects are expected to lead to the transfer of conservation technologies, management systems, and innovative approaches (such as market-based systems) to agricultural producers, into government technical manuals and guides, or to the private sector.
CIG generally funds pilot projects, field demonstrations, and on-farm conservation research. On-farm conservation research is defined as an investigation conducted to answer a specific applied conservation question using a statistically valid design while employing farm-scale equipment on farms, ranches, or private forest lands.

CIG Priorities

Soil Health/Soil Quality
- Soil Health Management Systems (SHMS) are a collection of NRCS conservation practices that focus on maintaining or enhancing soil health by addressing all four soil health planning principles: minimize disturbance, maximize soil cover, maximize biodiversity and maximize presence of living roots. A SHMS is a specific cropping system and contains practices that treat the entire field. When applied as a system, SHMS achieves the greatest soil health benefit by creating systemwide synergistic effects. Information obtained through soil health assessments can be used to develop a SHMS to target specific identified constraints.
- NRCS invites proposals that support the adoption of SHMS in one or more of the following areas:
  - Evaluate and quantify the economic and water quality benefits of practices that improve soil health.
  - Validate techniques that evaluate soil health metrics and practices.
  - Demonstrate the economics of cover crops.
Urban and Small Farms
- USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America.
  - Implementation Projects that accelerate existing and emerging models of urban and/or innovative agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers or gardeners. Innovation may include new and emerging, as well as traditional or indigenous, agricultural practices.
  - Projects that provide small farmers and ranchers opportunities to enter and/or improve their successes in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands, including projects that provide support for education, mentoring, and technical assistance to give small farmers and ranchers the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations and enhance their sustainability.
Climate Smart Ag and Forestry
- The Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is designed to introduce and promote climate smart technologies for sustainable growth of the agriculture sector and create resilience in communities associated with agriculture. CSA activity will also work on ways to increase public and private sector investment in research and innovation for adaptation and resilience in agriculture.
  - Increase the resilience and coping capacity of the smallholder farmers adapt and transfer conservation technologies, management, practices, systems, approaches, and incentive systems to improve performance and encourage adoption of CSA technologies and practices.
  - Development and/or implementation of forestry management systems and tools (example: intercropping approaches, alley cropping concurrently, using green mulch/manure cut and carry system designs with woody and/or herbaceous perennial species, etc.) specific for Guam, Oahu, Kona, or Hilo, or general for any location in PIA.
Wildlife
- NRCS and its partners help farmers and private landowners address wildlife habitat needs through the conservation planning process and conservation practice implementation. The same practices that improve wildlife habitat often also help improve water quality, soil conservation and other resource concerns.
- Projects must address one or more of the following issues:
  - Evaluate the potential benefits of agroforestry/forest management to woodland health.
  - Evaluate and demonstrate the market viability of native perennial plantings.
  - Evaluate and demonstrate the potential benefits of silvopasture.
Invasive Species
- Invasive species cost the public millions of dollars in control and management each year and many invasive plants and noxious weeds are highly competitive and have the ability to permanently degrade our public and private lands. Noxious weeds and invasive species expansion are recognized as the single greatest threat to our native plant communities and the values they provide us. These native plant communities are essential for supporting wildlife habitat, watershed function, recreation opportunities, rural economies and working landscapes.
- Development of innovative or repurposed planning tools, guidance documents, or conservation practices/scenarios that help producers manage noxious weeds using an Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPM) approach to determine the most effective method of weed control (herbicides, grazing, mechanical removal etc.).
  - Field testing of innovative production techniques that improve containment and elimination of noxious weeds through innovative weed management approaches, equipment and technology not readily available in the market for precision agriculture and variable rate application,
  - Proposed projects must be performed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

Funding Information

A total of up to $500,000.00 is available for the Pacific Islands Area (PIA) CIG competition in FY 2023.
The estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $50,000.00, and the estimated funding ceiling is $150,000.00.
Start Dates and Performance Periods: Projects may be between 1 and 3 years in duration. Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of September 15, 2023.
Number of Awards: The agency expects to make four (4) awards.

Innovative Conservation Projects or Activities

CIG funds the development and field testing, on-farm research and demonstration, evaluation, or implementation of:
- Approaches to incentivizing conservation adoption, including market-based and conservation finance approaches; and
- Conservation technologies, practices, and systems.
Projects or activities under CIG must comply with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws and regulations throughout the duration of the project; and
- Use a technology or approach that was studied sufficiently to indicate a high probability for success;
- Demonstrate, evaluate, and verify the effectiveness, utility, affordability, and usability of natural resource conservation technologies and approaches in the field;
- Adapt and transfer conservation technologies, management, practices, systems, approaches, and incentive systems to improve performance and encourage adoption;
- Introduce proven conservation technologies and approaches to a geographic area or agricultural sector where that technology or approach is not currently in use.
Technologies and approaches that are eligible for funding in a project’s geographic area using an EQIP contract for an established conservation practice standard are ineligible for CIG funding, except where the use of those technologies and approaches demonstrates clear innovation.

Eligibility Criteria

Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Small businesses
Independent school districts
Private institutions of higher education
Special district governments
City or township governments
For profit organizations other than Small businesses
State governments
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Individuals
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
County governments
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)

For more information, visit Grants.gov.