[미국] USDA, 가뭄 지역 물보전 및 회복에 2천100만 달러 투자
미국 농무부(USDA)는 최근 천연자원보전서비스부(NRCS)가 가뭄의 장·단기적인 영향을 완화시키기 위한 과학 기반의 솔루션을 농부 및 낙농업자들이 적용할 수 있도록 돕는 농업법에 약 2천100만 달러를 투자할 계획이라고 발표했다.
이번 투자는 미국 전역의 8개 주 중 가장 심각한 가뭄지역에 대한 재정·기술적인 지원에 초점을 둘 예정으로, 농부 및 낙농업자들이 관개 효율성을 끌어올리고 토질 및 생산성을 향상시키며 운영을 위한 안정적인 수자원을 확보할 수 있도록 지원하는 물보전 계획을 적용할 수 있도록 도울 것으로 기대된다.
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USDA invests $21M for water conservation, resilience across drought-stricken states
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will invest approximately $21 million in additional Farm Bill dollars to help farmers and ranchers apply science-based solutions to mitigate the short- and long-term effects of drought. These investments will focus financial and technical assistance in the most severely drought-stricken areas in eight states to help crop and livestock producers apply water conservation practices that increase irrigation efficiency, improve soil health and productivity, and ensure reliable water sources for livestock operations.
The announcement expands on the substantial efforts already underway to help producers conserve water, improve soil health and build long-term agricultural resilience into their operations. Already this year, NRCS state offices have targeted significant portions of their fiscal year Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) allocations to address water conservation, soil health and resilience. In California, for example, more than $27 million of fiscal year 2015 EQIP funding is directed towards beneficial drought management practices.
NRCS will provide an additional $21 million in technical and financial assistance through EQIP to target areas that are experiencing either exceptional or extreme drought conditions as of the May 2015 U.S. Drought Monitor, which includes parts of California, Kansas, Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Utah. The EQIP funding will allow NRCS to help producers apply selected conservation practices to better deal with the effects of drought in their operations, including prescribed grazing, livestock watering facilities, cover crops, nutrient management, irrigation systems, and other practices.
Between 2012 and 2014, NRCS invested more than $1.5 billion in financial and technical assistance to help producers implement conservation practices that improve water-use efficiency and build long-term health of working crop, pasture and range lands. These practices include building soil health by using cover crops and no-tills, which allow the soil to hold water longer and buffer roots from higher temperatures; improving the efficiency of irrigation systems; and implementing prescribed grazing to relieve pressure on stressed vegetation.
NRCS is also leveraging partner investments through the new Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to put further resources toward projects that foster water conservation and resilience (see article). In the first round of RCPP funding last year, NRCS committed more than $84 million in 35 projects that address water conservation and soil health. These funds will be matched dollar-for-dollar by partners, resulting in a total investment of nearly $190 million in water conservation and resilience across the country.
This month, Vilsack announced a second round of RCPP funding availability that will make up to $235 million available for targeted conservation, highlighting drought and water conservation as a resource concern for potential projects (see article). Likewise, NRCS also announced $6.5 million in additional drought-related funding through the Ogallala Aquifer Initiative (see article). This investment will support targeted, local efforts to protect the quality and extend the availability of water from the Ogallala Aquifer, which underlies about 225,000 square miles of the Great Plains and supports nearly one-fifth of the wheat, corn, cotton, and cattle produced in the United States.
[출처 = Water World / 2015년 5월 19일]