The Farmland Restoration, Climate Resiliency & Disaster Preparedness Grant (RRP) provides matching funds to Connecticut farmers, nonprofits, and municipalities to increase food and fiber production in the state by restoring lands into active agricultural production and increasing the climate resiliency of those lands.
Donor Name: Connecticut Department of Agriculture
State: Connecticut
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant | Matching Grants
Deadline: 01/24/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Grant Categories
Two unique grant categories are available; Applicants shall select the category for which they think their project most closely qualifies. DOAG reserves the right to alter the grant category selected by the applicant. Below are summaries of each category.
- Tier I: Farmland Restoration Grant
- Max Award: $25,000 maximum grant award
- Project Areas
- Soil amendments
- Well digging
- Fencing and fence installation
- Riparian land management
- Stone and stump removal
- Removal of invasive species
- Pond dredging
- Tier 2: Climate Resiliency & Preparedness Planning and Implementation Grant
- Award Range: $25,000 – $100,000
- Eligible projects can be in a variety of areas including, but not limited to:
- Regenerative agriculture land management planning
- Improving soil structure for increased water holding capacity through soil amendments, reducing soil compaction, using cover crops, and/or increasing soil biomass
- Improving water runoff patterns
- Replanting vegetation on erosion prone land or along streams
- Addressing water quality and coastal acidification impacts to natural resources including shellfish, crustaceans, and fish
- Enhanced grazing land management
- Rotational high stock density grazing
- Converting cropland to pasture and rotational grazing
- Facilitating community education or workshops to increase awareness around climate resilient farming practices
- Purchasing seed for cover crops
- Strip cropping
- Improved livestock waste management systems
- Soil health and organic matter biodiversity
- Agroforestry and silvopasture
- Creating rainwater harvesting systems
- Hydroponics, aquaponics and other indoor plant production
- Integrated pest management
- On farm composting systems
- Riparian land management
- Purchasing Climate Smart Farming Equipment
- Investing in infrastructure such as windmills, overhead/drip irrigation, high tunnels, greenhouse fans, rainwater collection.
Eligibility Criteria
The following entities are eligible to apply for the RRP Grant:
- Agricultural producers, who are owners or tenants of an existing agribusiness within the State of Connecticut with at least one year of production experience.
- Not for profits owning or leasing a property in use for agricultural production.
- Municipalities leasing farmland, currently in use by a farmer. The lease must be no less than five years in duration, with a five-year option to renew in the terms.
- The University of Connecticut Extension Services.
- Soil and water conservation districts.
For more information, visit CDOA.
