NRCS provides funds to ALFDC

Little Rock, Ark., Sept. 15, 2004 — The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is providing funds for an Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation project to help limited resource and socially disadvantaged farmers increase their participation in conservation while maintaining economic sustainable farm operations.

“These funds continue the cooperative partnership between NRCS and ALFDC and ensures limited resource and socially disadvantaged farmers continue to have access to our programs,” said Kalven L. Trice, Arkansas state conservationist.

The Integrated Conservation Outreach, Training and Technology Transfer Project focuses on 11 Arkansas counties.

“This project will strengthen the relationship among economic development, sustainable environmental practices and asset-based rural community development,” said Dr. Calvin King Sr., president and CEO of ALFDC.

“The program will be implemented through education, training, technical assistance, demonstrations, development of paraprofessional and farmer-to-farmer networks, advocacy, partnership support building, and support for the involvement of youth and women in agriculture,” King said.

Goals of the project include:

• Improve the capacity of Arkansas’ socially disadvantaged farmers to implement profitable, environmentally sound, integrated and sustainable, resource-efficient soil conservation systems and increase the understating of farmers concerning comprehensive benefits of such practices.
• Increase opportunities for paraprofessional farmers in the network while protecting the environment, improving the quality of life and advocating safe and sustainable agriculture.
• Improve rural leadership and community quality of life through conservation program participation that supports water resources, soil resources, grazing lands, forest health and wildlife habitat.
• Improve farm management through conservation participation for current and beginning farmers.
• Improve the rural environment and ecology.
• Provide support services to farmers at the field level in a centralized manner for training and technical assistance on USDA conservation programs.

ALFDC is a community-based organization who has been involved in farm advocacy, issues of small family farm development, land retention and rural community development since 1980. ALFDC, located on a 266-acre farm site in Fargo, services 42 counties in central, southeast and eastern Arkansas.

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