REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (RCPP)

This briefing by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) describes the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The program coordinates conservation activities with partners to address natural resource concerns on a regional or watershed scale, with a specific focus on implementing practices that mitigate climate change.

• As of August 2022, the RCPP has issued 589 awards to more than 3,000 partners and maintains over 400 active projects, with at least one project operating in every US state.
• The program's funding consists of mandatory annual funding of $300 million authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill through fiscal year 2023, supplemented by $4.95 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act. The Inflation Reduction Act allocation is distributed as $250 million for FY 2023, $800 million for FY 2024, $1.5 billion for FY 2025, and $2.4 billion for FY 2026.
• The RCPP aims to protect and restore soil, water, wildlife, and agricultural land on a regional or watershed scale. It encourages partners to help producers meet or avoid natural resource regulatory requirements and promotes the flexible delivery of conservation assistance.
• Eligible partners for the program include Indian tribes, state or local government units, farmer cooperatives, institutions of higher education, conservation districts, and various water-related entities such as irrigation districts and municipal wastewater treatment entities.
• The Secretary of Agriculture can designate up to eight geographical areas as 'critical conservation areas' to address priority resource concerns. These concerns include water quality improvement (such as sediment control), water quantity improvement (addressing drought or flood prevention), and wildlife habitat restoration.
• Funding for the program is split equally: 50 percent is allocated to projects based on a State or multistate competitive process, and 50 percent is allocated to projects within designated critical conservation areas.
• The program mandates outreach to historically underserved producers, specifically including limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers and ranchers, as well as beginning farmers and ranchers.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2023). REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (RCPP). https://www.eesi.org/files/Farm-Bill-2023-Side-by-Side-Regional-Conservation-Partnership-Program-RCPP.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (RCPP). 2023. https://www.eesi.org/files/Farm-Bill-2023-Side-by-Side-Regional-Conservation-Partnership-Program-RCPP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (RCPP) |date=24 February 2023 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/Farm-Bill-2023-Side-by-Side-Regional-Conservation-Partnership-Program-RCPP.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2023regional, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (RCPP)}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/Farm-Bill-2023-Side-by-Side-Regional-Conservation-Partnership-Program-RCPP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }