Climate Programs

The USDA Resource Guide for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) was developed to provide tribal leaders and tribal citizens, 1994 Land-Grant Tribal Colleges and Universities, AI/AN businesses, and non-governmental organizations serving AI/AN communities with a tool for navigating USDA resources. The USDA programs and services available to members of American Indian and Alaska Native tribes are described in the following pages. This guide provides readers with a comprehensive summary of USDA Programs, separated into four categories: 1. Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Traditional Foods 2. Business and Community Development 3. Conservation and Forestry 4. Research, Extension, and Outreach 

Categories: resources, agriculture, food sovereignty, traditional foods, business and community development, conservation, forestry

Lsiting of coordinators for RD programs across the country, listed by state.

Categories: Development

USDA/ERS is a primary source of economic information and research that conducts applied social science research, analyzes food and commodity markets, produces policy studies, and develops economic and statistical indicators involving food, farming, natural resources, and rural development.

Categories: research, economic analysis, social science, food and commodity, statistics, natural resources, rural development, mitigation

The National Agricultural Library has compiled a set of resources and information pretaining the natural resource and environmental issues.

Categories: Natural Resources

The Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC) is a web-based, national resource that connects land managers and decisionmakers with useable science to address climate change in planning and application. Current and expected climate changes have serious implications for ecosystems and the benefits they provide.

Categories: climate change, forest, wildfire, management

FuelCalc is a desktop software application for determining changes in surface and crown fuel loading after thinning, pruning, piling and/or prescribed fire.

Categories: wildfire, prescribed burns, planned fires, fuels, prevention, mitigation, adaptation, climate change, extreme weather

The Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO) integrates climate change science into land management and planning. This tool generates reports capturing and organizing information for a specific location and natural resource issue by synchronizing climate change literature with mapping tools and climate models. Learn more about this information delivery tool here.Please note, as of 9/16/22, the TACCIMO site is currently experiencing technical issues.

Categories: climate change impacts, planning, maps, land management, natural resource protection, climate models

The Intertribal Nursery Council (INC) is a USDA Forest Service managed, tribally guided, organization for advancing the interests of native peoples involved with plant production in nurseries.

Categories: plant production, traditional ecological knowledge, nursery training

The U.S. Forest Service released Tribal Connections, a new online interactive mapping tool that shows how lands managed by the agency connect or overlap with current tribal trust lands and lands tribes exchanged with the federal government prior to 1900. This reference tool will help Forest Service employees and the public better understand historical treaties and the role they play in making current land management decisions. Tribal Connections contains multiple layers that include information on forests and grasslands managed by the agency, lands owned by tribes and historical data on lands ceded by treaties. Nearly 4,000 miles of shared boundaries between tribal lands and Forest Service-administered/owned land are identified.

Categories: Forest Service, GIS, mapping, tribal trust lands, treaties

Deadline is Ongoing. The 1994 Land-Grants use Equity to support faculty who develop classes and degree programs that teach science and math to Native Americans. The programs focus on agriculture, natural resources and human sciences. The faculty strive to graduate students who can achieve their life goals. Since many 1994 Land-Grants are two-year schools, some students aspire to advanced degrees. Other students seek training to begin a vocational career in agriculture. Still other students want to earn certifications just to improve their daily lives. Faculty have used Equity funding to help build laboratories, conduct remedial courses, create new degree programs in forestry and provide students stipends so they can complete their education. The goal is to graduate empowered students who can embrace their future with new skills and knowledge.

Categories: math, science, agriculture, natural resources, human sciences, vocational training, education

Deadline is Ongoing. The Tribal College Extension grant program allows the 1994 Land-Grants to create extension offices for their reservation communities. Each extension office works with reservation communities to build programs that target local needs. The result is a diversified and targeted outreach. Reservation youth participate in fun activities in a safe environment. Farmers and ranchers gain science-based insights to improve their productivity. Financial literacy training enhances rural reservation economies. The 1994 Land-Grants also provide culture-centered family activities to restore Native languages, traditions and agriculture. Within this grant program are two types of funds: Capacity grants and Special Emphasis. Capacity grants fund an entire Extension office which can have many mission areas and clients. Special Emphasis are targeted, short-term pilot projects that allow Extension educators to explore new ways to better serve their community.

Categories: reservation communities, financial literacy training, education, culture, native languages, traditions, agrculture

The 1994 Land-Grants often serve as the primary institution of scientific inquiry, knowledge and learning for reservation communities. This funding allows them to address the questions that matter to these communities such as protecting reservation forests or monitoring water quality. Projects may help a tribe improve bison herd productivity, discover whether traditional plants can play a role in managing diabetes or control invasive species. The grant's partnership requirement ensures that other federal and Land-Grant research entities can share resources and knowledge with these, the newest Land-Grants. In addition, this grant places an emphasis on training students in science.

Categories: reservation communities, science, research, tribal education, tribal colleges

The Agricultural Analytics Division (AAD) provides economic, statistical, analytic, and scientific expertise in support of both Agency and industry stakeholders functions consistent with USDA’s scientific integrity policy. AAD services help recipients to identify and drive business efficiencies, make informed policy and marketing decisions, develop innovative solutions to complex marketing and production issues, gain a better understanding of the present day commodity market environment, evaluate new marketing opportunities, improve logistics and science based operations, and manage risk.

Categories: analytics, economy, research, business development, innovative solutions, commodity food programs

APHIS is an agency with many missions vital to the health and welfare of animals, plants, and the natural environment in Indian Country. We have worked with Tribal partners and Native American communities for many years to help protect livestock and crops from disease, pests, and wildlife damage. We collaborate on these important projects through cooperative agreements, technical and emergency training, outreach activities, and consultations that ensure Native American cultural heritage and values are respected.

Categories: animal health, plant health, natural environment, livestock, crops, disease, pests, wildlife, technical training, outreach, consultation, culture

Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems National Programs support researchers at seventy locations developing the technologies and strategies needed to help farmers, ranchers, and other managers effectively steward the diverse agricultural mosaic spread across the nation. From livestock grazing expansive natural western rangelands, to crops grown in the rich Midwestern Heartland and the Southern States regions, to the high-value produce that comes from the valleys and plains along both coasts, these diverse landscapes generate more than $200-billion in goods and services that are the basis of a strong rural economy. Emphasis is given to developing technologies that are economical to use and systems that support profitable production and enhance the Nation’s vast renewable natural resource base. Research priorities are identified through a continual dialogue with a wide range of customers and stakeholders to ensure that our science is relevant and provides effective solutions to their concerns. We address issues affecting both private and public lands, because together these are the foundation of a healthy and vibrant agricultural industry that not only provides food, feed, fiber, and renewable energy to the nation, but also abundant and high quality supplies of fresh water and clean air, as well as healthy ecosystems.

Categories: natural resource management, agriculture, research, stewardship, science and technology, sustainable industry

The mission of animal production and protection national programs is to improve the health, well-being, and efficiency of livestock, poultry, and aquatic food animals to ensure a productive and safe food supply. Emphasis is placed on germplasm characterization, improvement, and conservation; understanding the mechanisms of disease resistance, and the development of tools to prevent, control, or eradicate diseases that threaten our food supply or public health; and identifying and developing sustainable systems for production of high quality meat, milk, and eggs.

Categories: animal health, marine health, food production, food safety, research, public health

The Food Access Research Atlas: Presents a spatial overview of food access indicators for low-income and other census tracts using different measures of supermarket accessibility; Provides food access data for populations within census tracts; and Offers census-tract-level data on food access that can be downloaded for community planning or research purposes.What can you do with the Atlas? Create maps showing food access indicators by census tract using different measures and indicators of supermarket accessibility; Compare food access measures based on 2015 data with the previous 2010 measures; View indicators of food access for selected subpopulations; and Download census-tract-level data on food access measures.

Categories: research, food accessibility, data, community planning

USDA's domestic food and nutrition assistance programs affect the daily lives of millions of people, with about one in four Americans participating in at least one program at some point during a given year. These programs represent a significant investment, accounting for over two-thirds of USDA's annual budget. ERS is the primary source for economic studies and evaluations of domestic food and nutrition assistance programs to meet the needs of USDA, Congress, program managers, program participants, the research community, and the public at large. To address this diverse group, ERS has developed an integrated program of intramural and extramural research. A key component of this program is research dissemination. ERS maintains 2 web-based interactive databases to ensure that its broad spectrum of research is available to the public in an accessible format for both technical and nontechnical audiences. Follow link below to view database.

Categories: food and nutrition, economic studies, evaluation, research

The Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) provides financial assistance to owners and operators of agricultural and non-industrial private forest land who wish to establish, produce, and deliver biomass feedstocks. BCAP provides two categories of assistance: matching payments, and annual payments.

Categories: Biomass, Energy

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a land conservation program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality. Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are 10-15 years in length. The long-term goal of the program is to re-establish valuable land cover to help improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is holding a continuous signup period for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), running from June 4, 2018 to August 17, 2018.

Categories: agriculture, conservation, environmental health and quality, water quality, soil erosion, wildlife habitat

ELAP provides financial assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish for losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events or loss conditions, including blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary. ELAP assistance is provided for losses not covered by other disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, such as losses not covered by the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).

Categories: emergency assistance, disaster resources, extreme weather events

The Source Water Protection Program (SWPP) is a joint project with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the National Rural Water Association (NRWA), a non-profit water and wastewater utility membership organization. The SWPP is designed to help prevent pollution of surface and ground water used as the primary source of drinking water by rural residents. Through NRWA, full-time rural source water technicians with practical experience are hired. The technicians work with specialists from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and state and county FSA staff, to identify areas where pollution prevention is most needed. Once areas for pollution prevention are identified, technicians work with state rural water associations to create local teams made up of citizens and individuals from federal, state, local, and private organizations. These teams collaborate to create a Rural Source Water Protection plan to promote clean source water. The plan identifies voluntary actions that farmers and ranchers can install to prevent source water pollution.

Categories: source water, water protection, water quality, pollution prevention, agricultural runoff

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a voluntary land retirement program that helps agricultural producers protect environmentally sensitive land, decrease erosion, restore wildlife habitat, and safeguard ground and surface water.

Categories: Natural Resources

The 2014 Farm Bill authorized the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) to provide financial assistance to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes, and vines lost by natural disasters. TAP is administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). To be considered an eligible loss:Eligible trees, bushes, or vines must have suffered more than a 15 percent mortality loss in a stand (adjusted for normal mortality) due to an eligible natural disaster;Mortality loss on a stand of eligible trees, bushes, or vines is based on:Each eligible disaster event, except for losses due to plant disease; andFor plant disease, the time period as determined by the FSA for which the stand is infected.The loss must not have been preventable through reasonable and available measures;The loss must be visible and obvious to the FSA representative; if the loss is no longer visible, FSA may accept other loss evidence and determine whether that other evidence substantiates that an eligible loss due to natural disaster occurred; and FSA may require information from a qualified expert to determine extent of loss in the case of plant disease or insect infestation

Categories: natural disasters, rehabilitation, replant, tree health, plant health

This website contains information regarding how FSA is ensuring that the implementation of its programs meet all applicable environmental and cultural resource review requirements.

Categories: Compliance

Welcome to the Current Research Information System (CRIS) web site. The Current Research Information System (CRIS) provides documentation and reporting for ongoing agricultural, food science, human nutrition, and forestry research, education and extension activities for the United States Department of Agriculture; with a focus on the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant programs. Projects are conducted or sponsored by USDA research agencies, state agricultural experiment stations, land-grant universities, other cooperating state institutions, and participants in NIFA-administered grant programs, including Small Business Innovation Research and Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. The Planning, Accountability, & Reporting Staff office of NIFA is responsible for maintaining CRIS.

Categories: research, agriculture, food science, human nutrition, forestry, education, NIFA

The NorWeST webpage hosts stream temperature data and climate scenarios in a variety of user-friendly digital formats for streams and rivers across the western U.S. The temperature database was compiled from hundreds of biologists and hydrologists working for >100 resource agencies and contains >150,000,000 hourly temperature recordings at >20,000 unique stream sites. Those temperature data were used with spatial statistical network models to develop 30 historical and future climate scenarios at 1-kilometer resolution for >1,000,000 kilometers of stream.

Categories: Climate change, water temperature, stream health, watershed, water health, water management,

In 2016, the Department is pleased to update and implement its newly revised Environmental Justice Strategy (EJ Strategy), which seeks to demonstrate the Department’s commitment to comply with Executive Order (EO) 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low‐Income Populations.

Categories: climate change, water quality, biodiversity, human health, social justice, environmental justice, planning, policy

The Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC) has been developed as a reference for US Forest Service resource managers and decision makers who need information and tools to address climate change in planning and project implementation on national forests.

Categories: Education

The Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC) is a reference Web site for resource managers and decisionmakers who need information and tools to address climate change in planning and
project implementation.

Categories: Education, Planning