Some 45 projects across the country will share $27 million in Conservation Innovation grants to reduce farm runoff, improve water quality and preserve farmland, announced the USDA. Recipients range from the City of Chicago to public universities and the National Corn Growers Association.
Chicago will use $1 million in grant money to encourage urban farmers to put more land into trusts or cooperative tenure arrangements and also environmental remediation. The University of Hawaii received $979,927 for work to optimize irrigation scheduling in high-volume vegetable farms in the Pacific while Tennessee State University was awarded $792,504 to improve water-quality management by the nursery industry. And, the Corn Growers won a $1 million grant to develop a model for corporations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve water quality.
The innovation grants were awarded through a competition. Participants will provide at least a $1 for $1 matching investment, so that total support is worth $59 million, said USDA.