Partner Spotlight: Soil and Water Conservation Society
The Soil and Water Conservation Society partnered with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to develop A Conservation Professionals’ Guide to Diversity, Equitable and Inclusive Conservation Delivery Among the Historically Underserved through an Equity in Conservation cooperative agreement.
By Krecia Leddy, Grants Management Specialist, NRCS
For over 75 years, the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) has been the premier international organization for all professionals who practice and advance the science and art of natural resource conservation. In 2022, SWCS received $257,300 from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through an Equity in Conservation cooperative agreement to develop A Conservation Professionals’ Guide to Diversity, Equitable and Inclusive Conservation Delivery Among the Historically Underserved.
The guidebook will assist NRCS field office staff in equitably delivering conservation technical assistance to historically underserved communities. Based on the understanding that community solutions must be community-led, SWCS created the guidebook content with stakeholder feedback and, to ensure equitable participation, paid stakeholders to recognize the value of their time and expertise.
SWCS engaged Meridian Institute to design and facilitate stakeholder roundtables, engaging a diverse team with lived experience in racial equity and agriculture expertise. The roundtables engaged stakeholders representing farmers, ranchers, nonprofit organizations, and conservation professionals within and outside of NRCS to share their insights on challenges and opportunities in integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into technical assistance to historically underserved communities, specifically via the nine-step conservation planning process.
“The beauty of this project is centering the input of stakeholders representing historically underserved communities and making that input the focus of the guidebook,” said Candace Spencer, project lead and Mediator and Program Manager at Meridian. “The financial recognition of their time and experience is also key. We’re excited to share the final guidebook because it will truly be an equitable engagement tool that benefits historically underserved communities and helps NRCS live out its vision.”
Upon completion, the guidebook will be available on the SWCS website, shared through SWCS state chapters, and distributed by NRCS to field offices.
In 2024, NRCS plans to use the guidebook to provide extensive training to conservation professionals to ensure they have the necessary tools to engage and understand working with historically underserved participants and communities.
SWCS has contributed to conserving U.S. soil and water systems by promoting locally led conservation efforts and advocating for federal conservation assistance programs housed at NRCS.
Additional Information
Equity in Conservation Outreach Cooperative Agreements
The Equity in Conservation Outreach Cooperative Agreements fund projects to expand the delivery of conservation assistance to producers who are new to farming, are low-income, identify as one or more marginalized race or ethnicity, and/or are military veterans.
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Outreach is an integral part of NRCS program and service delivery. Effective outreach helps to ensure that information services and programs reaches all existing and potential customers in a timely and fair manner.
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