Texas NRCS Urban Conservation Project

SUMMARY: The NRCS - Texas State Office, an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is seeking support from and opportunities to partner with like minded natural resource conservation partners. The overall intent of this solicitation is to solicit partnerships to help enhance the implementation of key conservation objectives and priorities outlined further in this document.Proposals will be accepted from eligible entities for projects located in Texas. NRCS anticipates that the total amount awarded under this announcement in Federal fiscal year 2018 will be approximately $150,000. Proposals are requested from eligible non- profit organizations, independent school districts, institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments for competitive consideration of grant awards for one year in duration.The Texas NRCS Urban Conservation Project is an effort to challenge community organizations, educational institutions and Indian tribes to establish community and school gardens across Texas. The simple act of planting a garden can help unite neighbors in a common effort and inspire locally-led solutions to challenges facing our state. Challenges that can be addressed with locally-led solutions can be diverse in an urban setting. Addressing hunger with an urban garden can bring communities together and initiate other positive outcomes for people. Pollinator habitat planned with urban gardens can provide an increase in harvest potential while providing food and habitat for declining insect communities in Texas.As part of the USDA’s Urban Agriculture toolkit, the Texas NRCS Urban Conservation Project will provide technical and financial assistance to eligible entities to establish gardens for food production and for attracting and maintaining monarch butterflies and the establishment of seasonal high tunnels to extend the growing season of fruits and vegetables.Conservation entities are invited to apply for NRCS assistance with the following key conservation objectives:1. Provide learning experiences in natural resources conservation to urban communities.2. Address food deserts.3. Create urban gardening projects that develop urban properties into vegetable production sites.4. Improve access to healthy, affordable food at a local level.5. Leverage non-Federal resources to achieve positive natural resources conservation outcomes.