To spend $20 billion, USDA needs to embrace conservation tech
By Harry Huntley and Reed Van Beveren
Note: This blog is the second in a series that address the questions USDA asked in its Request for Information about implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s conservation provisions. Stay tuned for more.
In rapidly scaling up conservation programs to fulfill the mandates of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) will need to embrace technology in new ways. One of the key questions in the Request for Information is how to improve program delivery. By improving data management and interoperability between programs, USDA can simultaneously ease access for historically underserved producers and build out a lasting foundation for future program delivery. Meanwhile, use of new software and hardware has the potential to make enhancement and implementation technical assistance more efficient. USDA should seize this opportunity by bolstering its human capacity for technology adoption and taking a proactive approach toward identifying and adopting promising technologies.
While available funding has long been the limiting factor for conservation programs (EQIP, CSP, and their various subprograms), the Inflation Reduction Act will ameliorate that. Thus, there’s a need to think more about other stumbling blocks to conservation that have not previously been as salient. For instance, paperwork burdens can discourage farmers from participating in conservation programs almost as much as an outright application denial. Especially for historically underserved producers, navigating the available NRCS programs can be a challenge. In implementing the IRA, one goal for NRCS could be a common application for conservation programs, akin to the Common App for colleges.
No doubt it would be challenging and possibly counterproductive to get all of the programs to require exactly the same questions, so a better solution could be to create a “data wallet” that farmers could load with as much information as they want to share about their operation. Then, this wallet could be uploaded to apply for NRCS, state, or private conservation programs. Based on that farm data, NRCS could recommend not just which program to apply for but which practices would be most effective for the environment and a producer’s bottom line. Our friends at OpenTEAM have been working on creating the infrastructure for a conservation data wallet and have already received a Climate Smart Commodities grant. USDA should lay the groundwork now for integrating that data wallet concept into the application process, saving time for producers and encouraging adoption by other conservation funders.
But using new technologies in the application process is just the first step in enhancing the throughput and accessibility of IRA-funded programs. New technologies could speed up and streamline conservation projects from application to completion. For instance, drones could be used for remote monitoring of conservation easements and new water and soil sensors could help with rapid assessment of conservation potential and outcomes. However, realizing their potential will require proactive efforts to identify, evaluate, and procure them, and use enterprising strategies to work with innovative technology providers. For example, the USDA could develop a single digital point of entry for technology providers to help gather and evaluate information about technologies more efficiently. As new technologies emerge and prove useful, NRCS could make them more accessible to underserved producers by implementing a sensor loan program, potentially modeled on EPA’s loan program for air quality sensors.
New technology also inevitably requires investments in technology capacity. There’s a saying in Washington that “personnel is policy”. Very true in this case. NRCS officers across the country are hardworking and knowledgeable about their programs. But the scale of what NRCS is being asked to do with the IRA funding is truly unprecedented and will require specialized capacity to design the digital infrastructure, policies, and processes to truly make efficient technology-enabled programs a reality. That’s why the federal government has programs like the US Digital Service and Presidential Innovation Fellows–to bring technology experts into government to support career staff undertaking bold, new initiatives. Unfortunately, since 2019 USDA has only hosted two Presidential Innovation Fellows.
To address this dearth, NRCS should start developing better project proposals, conduct outreach to NGOs operating at the intersection of agriculture and tech, and commit some of the $1 billion for conservation technical assistance to supporting PIFs. Crucially, the project proposals should be for positions at the level of Senior Advisor or similar–taking on strategic, systems-wide projects–rather than jobs that could be fulfilled by contractors. The outreach should be spread across units so those who are closest to the tech problems can have input on who could be helpful in developing the solutions.
The $19,450,000,000 for conservation in the Inflation Reduction Act presents an opportunity for the USDA to embrace technology for better conservation program delivery. By improving data management and interoperability, NRCS can make it easier for producers–especially historically underserved producers–to apply for conservation programs. By creating new procurement processes, NRCS can position itself on the forefront of technologies that optimize conservation project planning and verification. By investing in its technology workforce, NRCS can create a lasting foundation for the next generation of conservation.
