A new look at funding technical assistance

Excerpt

THE most important line item in the Soil Conservation Service appropriation each year is “conservation operations.” Eight of every 10 dollars in that account go to support trained conservationists who help land users plan, apply, and maintain natural resource systems. These conservationists help land users, conservation districts, local and state governments, and others locate sources of needed conservation assistance within the U.S. Department of Agriculture and elsewhere.

Conservation operations accounts for more than 40 percent of the total SCS budget and 60 percent of all technical help the agency provides. For fiscal 1984, the base allocation to states for funding SCS technical assistance is $215.4 million, up from the 1980 total of $190.6 million. This large share of SCS's life deserves to be spread among states efficiently and responsively. In a time of fiscal constraint and pressing but varied natural resource needs, efficiency and responsiveness become urgent matters. SCS now has a new funding allocation system that will help the agency do more to meet local and national objectives.

The historical base

Some 40 years ago, conservation technical assistance funds were allocated to SCS state conservationists based on the number of conservation districts …