The Biden administration will spend up to $400 million to pay farmers in Western irrigation districts to conserve water, the Agriculture Department said Thursday.
At least 18 irrigation districts in California, Oregon and other Western states will receive funding, which the local agencies will distribute to producers who carry out conservation while maintaining agricultural production, the USDA said in a news release.
Districts would receive up to $15 million each, and more districts may be added later, according to the department. The program will set aside $40 million specifically for conservation in Indian country, in a partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribes, the USDA said.
“Agricultural producers are the backbone of rural communities across the West and many of them are struggling under prolonged drought conditions,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release. “We want to scale up the tools available to keep farmers farming, while also voluntarily conserving water and expanding markets for water-saving commodities.”
