Deadline: 30-Jun-2020
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced a call for proposals for 2020 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program.
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 NRCS 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.
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.
CIG Priorities
- Forestry: NRCS promotes forest conservation in a number of ways, but primarily through forest management plans and practices for productivity and wildlife. Monitoring, evaluation and analysis is often difficult to establish even after significant investment in practices. NRCS is seeking proposals that help to evaluate the efficacy of practices and the factors determining their adoption by landowners. Also important are the potential usage of forest areas for infiltration and treatment of runoff (vegetated treatement areas). Projects should address one or more of the following:
- Demonstrate and evaluate techniques, approaches or incentives that encourage adoption of sound-science forest management practices, or explore existing barriers to adoption.
- Examine costs and benefits associated with existing or potential forest management practices ranging from intensive to extensive forest management or riparian buffer management practices.
- Evaluation of the utility of forested areas for use as vegetated treatment areas.
- Aquatic Organism Conservation: NRCS works with diverse groups to remove barriers to fish and other aquatic organisms, and supports efforts to improve the health of stream ecosystems and the wildlife that depend on them. Maine NRCS seeks innovative approaches to plan and assess stream barriers, assess and improve in-stream habitat, and protect species of concern from injury or mortality. 2020 CIG proposals should address one or more of the following aquatic organism conservation priorities:
- Demonstration of innovative approaches to improve aquatic habitat, especially for diadromous species that will inform or improve conservation practices.
- Demonstration of innovative approaches to protect wildlife species of concern from mortality or predation that inform/improve conservation practices.
- Soil Health: Inform, improve, or increase adoption 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. NRCS invites proposals that support soil health practices in the following areas:
- Economic/financial case studies and/or “calculator tool” development on the costs and benefits of soil health system components such as crop rotation, tillage intensity and frequency, and cover crop variables for potato and/or dairy cropping systems.
- Soil climate and runoff effect evaluations of soil health components such as overwintered cover crops versus fall plowing as they relate to viability of practice adoption by farmers.
- Innovative cover cropping systems appropriate to the climate of northern and central Maine.
- Pollinator Conservation: NRCS seeks to conserve pollinators primarily by assisting landowners with increasing floral resources, and by removing or mitigating threats to pollinators. NRCS has many suitable conservation practices for those objectives, but innovative solutions to establish and enhance floral resources, protect pollinators, and assess outcomes are areas that need attention. NRCS invites proposals that support pollinator conservation in the following areas:
- Innovative techniques to apply NRCS practices Herbaceous Weed Control or Brush Management to improve pollinator habitat on challenging sites such as wetland and adjacent areas dominated by dense stands of invasive weeds.
- Innovative techniques to apply NRCS practice Integrated Pest Management and related practices.
Funding Information
It is anticipated that a total of up to $300,000 in funding will be available for this announcement. The funding floor for a single award is $25,000 and the funding ceiling for a single award is $75,000.
Eligibility Criteria
All U.S.-based non-Federal entities (NFE) and individuals, with the exception of Federal agencies, are eligible to apply for projects carried out in Maine. Individuals and entities may submit more than one application and may receive more than one award.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=327393