Las Cruces, NM – The Dona Ana Soil and Water Conservation District (DASWCD) in Dona Ana County, New Mexico announced it was awarded an urban agriculture conservation grant through a partnership with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to boost technical capacity nationwide.
DASWCD was one of 20 conservation districts across 14 states to receive funding. NACD and NRCS established the Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant Initiative in 2016 to help conservation districts and their partners provide much-needed technical assistance for agricultural conservation in developed or predominantly developing areas.
The DASWCD will provide technical assistance and support toward the establishment of an urban agriculture demonstration plot, developing an empty lot in a food desert in the City of Las Cruces or its periphery. Partnering with La Semilla food center and community farm, and NMSU Ag Extension Office, this project will increase the viability of numerous urban agriculture projects in Las Cruces in addition to the demonstration plot. In turn, the district will build its own capacity to engage in urban agriculture projects for the benefit of human wellness, understanding the inextricable link between caring for our natural resources, environmental conservation and the food system.
“As Americans move to urban areas, conservation districts are adapting, with a majority of today’s conservation districts now providing urban technical assistance,” NACD President Brent Van Dyke said. “We are proud to offer support to bolster their work to improve our nation’s natural resources.”
“Every acre counts when it comes to the conservation puzzle, whether it’s on farmland or a vacant lot,” Van Dyke said. “Conservation districts have worked to create opportunities to better assist landowners regardless of landscape, and this year’s awards will help engage communities to become more involved as stewards of their land.”
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The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state associations and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For more than 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit: www.nacdnet.org