The passage of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, more commonly known as the Farm Bill, represents a dramatic shift in the stance of farm policy by acknowledging the fact that "stewardship" and "conservation" are not synonymous. Previous farm policy often emphasized "conservation," in terms of land or other natural resources being taken out of production and put into some land management practice that would preserve their integrity by banning their use. However, the new Farm Bill has finally acknowledged the concept of "stewardship," or the idea that land can be both conserved and productive at the same time. Agroforestry practices have become vital land management strategies to meet the goals of conservation and stewardship on private lands.
Significant overhauls of existing conservation programs have given these programs new life. For example, the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) has been given $5.6 billion in additional funding. In addition, EQIP has been streamlined, making these funds accessible to more landowners by doing away with the old priority areas and increasing the resource concerns for each state. Even more importantly, the new EQIP program will fund three specific agroforestry practices (alley cropping, riparian forest buffers, and windbreak/shelterbelts), and provide funds for forest stand improvement, tree/shrub establishment, tree/shrub pruning, and savanna restoration.
A new program, called the Conservation Security Program (CSP), offers cost-share funds and land rental payments for landowners who want the flexibility of choosing their level of conservation involvement. The CSP is a three "tier" program that bases landowner payments on the level of conservation effort. Conservation practices for the CSP do not specifically identify agroforestry; however, certain agroforestry practices can be designed to meet the criteria for conservation practices listed in the program. For example, agroforestry practices can be designed that convert portions of cropland from soil-depleting uses to soil-conserving uses.
Another new program called the Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP) specifically identifies enhancing the implementation of agroforestry practices as one of its program objectives. The FLEP program has replaced the Forestry Incentive Program (FIP) and the Stewardship Incentive Program (SIP). The FLEP program offers cost- share payments for the establishment of windbreaks/shelterbelts and riparian buffers. The program also emphasizes the establishment of practices for the purposes of carbon sequestration.
For more information on these and other funding programs, contact your local USDA service center or the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (UMCA). The UMCA is in the process of publishing a complete guide to funding incentives for agroforestry. To receive a copy UMCA publications contact Christa Jennette at JennetteC@Missouri.edu or call 573-882-9866.