Working with Farmers for Innovative and Economic Solutions

The Gulf of America Division’s (GAD) Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program improves water quality, protects and/or increases wildlife habitat and enhances environmental education through demonstrations of crop or land management practices. The term “farmer” refers to those individuals that make management decisions concerning agricultural lands, including crops, forests and grazing. EPA’s awards fund competitive subawards to eligible entities collaborating with farmers on projects within the Gulf of America watershed.

Projects must involve new, novel or experimental technologies, methods, approaches or techniques. Data collection must be related to those methods, approaches or techniques. Landowners receive results from the property where projects occurred. This supports future farming decisions and helps show how different management practices affect water quality and quantity, improved habitat as well as ancillary improvements of yields and farming costs.

Successful projects result in farmers educating and motivating other farmers to use sustainable practices that successfully improve water quality and/or protect, enhance or restore habitats.

The GAD’s statutory authority to award assistance agreements is the Clean Water Act, §104(b) (3). This authorizes the award of assistance agreements to conduct and promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction and elimination of pollution.

The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, directs EPA to “coordinate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Gulf States, and other State, local, and private partners to leverage greater resources toward conservation projects on working-lands within the Gulf region and Mississippi River Basin.” Funded activities must advance protection and restoration of the Gulf of America watershed in support of EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan. All applications must be for projects that support Goal 1: A Cleaner, Healthier Environment, Objective 1.2 of the EPA Strategic Plan: Provide for Clean and Safe Water.