Conservation Technical Assistance Program: Purpose

Primary Purposes

The primary purposes of the CTA program are to:

• Reduce soil loss from erosion
• Solve soil, water quality, water conservation, air quality, and agricultural waste management problems
• Reduce potential damage caused by excess water and sedimentation or drought
• Enhance the quality of fish and wildlife habitat
• Improve the long-term land sustainability
• Assist others in facilitating changes in land use as needed for natural resource protection and sustainability

Primary Objectives

The primary objectives of the CTA program are to:

• Assist individuals or groups of decision makers, communities, conservation districts, units of State and local government, tribes, and others to voluntarily conserve, maintain, and improve natural resources.
• Provide community, watershed, and area-wide technical assistance in collaboration with local units of government, to develop and implement resource management plans that conserve, maintain and improve natural resources.
• Assist agricultural producers with complying with the Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland (Swampbuster) Conservation Compliance Provisions.
• Assist decision-makers to comply with Federal, State, tribal, and local environmental regulations and related requirements, and to prepare them to become eligible to participate in other conservation programs.
• Provide soils information and interpretation to individuals or groups of decision makers, communities, States, and others to aid  decision making with regards to management of soil resources.
• Collect, analyze, interpret, display, and disseminate information about the status, condition, and trend of soil, water, and related natural resources so that customers can make informed decisions for natural resource use and management.
• Assess the effects of conservation practices and systems on the condition of natural resources.