Natural Resources Conservation Service offers climate-smart agriculture and mitigation activities

While NRCS offers a broad suite of voluntary conservation activities, the agency identifies a subset as critical to climate change mitigation.

When applied appropriately, these activities may deliver quantifiable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and/or increases in carbon sequestration.

Many of these activities offer co-benefits that help operations build climate change resilience while addressing other natural resource concerns such as soil health, water quality, pollinator and wildlife habitat and air quality.

For Fiscal Year 2024, NRCS is increasing climate-smart agricultural and forestry mitigation activities eligible for Inflation Reduction Act funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

In response to feedback received from conservation partners, producers and NRCS staff across the country, NRCS considered and evaluated activities based on scientific literature demonstrating expected climate change mitigation benefits.

NRCS climate-smart agriculture and forestry mitigation activities are divided into mitigation categories. These mitigation categories are:

Soil Health — Reducing emissions and enhancing soil carbon sequestration.

Nitrogen Management — Implementing the 4Rs of nitrogen management and reducing nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. The 4Rs are Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time and Right Place.

Livestock Partnership — Reducing potent methane emissions from manure.

Grazing and Pasture — Reducing emissions and building soil carbon stocks in grazing systems.

Agroforestry, Forestry and Wildlife Habitat — Building carbon stocks in perennial biomass and soils.

Restoration of Disturbed Lands — Improving the quality of previously mined or degraded lands to increase soil and perennial biomass carbon stocks.

Energy, Combustion and Electricity Efficiency — Reducing emissions from agricultural operations and infrastructure through energy and fuel efficiency and system and operational improvements.

Wetlands — Restoring wetlands to enhance carbon storage in soils and vegetation.

Rice — Reducing methane emissions from rice fields through irrigation water management.

For additional information, visit farmers.gov/climate-smart to learn how each NRCS program supports climate-smart agriculture and forestry.

NRCS is continually evaluating and updating our climate-smart mitigation activities to ensure the latest science and quantifiable benefits are reflected. This may include the temporary addition of prioritized “provisional” activities that will be available as they undergo further evaluation.

NRCS Can Help

Producers interested in applying new climate-smart activities across their operations may be eligible for financial support through the NRCS conservation programs.

To apply, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center. Visit the NRCS-WV webpage to find your local service center and learn more about USDA’s financial and technical conservation assistance. www.wv.nrcs.usda.gov. Kingwood Field Office 304-329-3773.

In addition, state-specific application ranking dates for NRCS programs are available on the NRCS Program Application Ranking Dates webpage at nrcs.usda.gov/ranking-dates.