Governor Kathy Hochul announced the New York State initiative, NYS Connects: Climate Smart Farms and Forests Project, was awarded a $60 million grant under the first round of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding opportunity.
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Led by the State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Agriculture and Markets, the project is one of 70 selected nationally and will help agriculture producers and forest landowners implement climate smart agriculture and forestry practices, and build connections between landowners and companies with a growing demand for commodities produced using climate smart strategies.
A climate smart commodity is an agricultural commodity that is produced using agricultural (farming, ranching or forestry) practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon.
The NYS Connects: Climate Smart Farms and Forests Project will immediately fund landowners working to implement multiple climate smart agriculture and forestry (CSAF) practices by building on current State programs.
The project will identify and mitigate social and behavioral barriers to CSAF practice adoption, particularly among underserved and minority populations.
A combination of new and well-developed tools will be used for measurement, quantification, monitoring, reporting, and verification.
This data will also be beneficial for building continuous improvement processes to refine practices and programs, reduce costs, and mitigate greenhouse gas emission impacts.
In the first round of funding, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing up to $2.8 billion in 70 selected projects nationally from more than 450 submitted project proposals.
The initial projects will expand markets for climate-smart commodities, leverage the greenhouse gas benefits of climate-smart commodity production, and provide direct, meaningful benefits to production agriculture, including for small and underserved producers.
USDA will work with the applicants for the 70 identified projects to finalize the scope and funding levels in the coming months.
In addition to DEC and AGM, supporting partners in this project include the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee, County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF), and Syracuse University. ■