Urban & Community Initiative (2023)

In 2023, the Placer Resource Conservation District was awarded an Urban and Community grant through a partnership with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to expand its services beyond large-scale operations to small-scale, more urban, clients with a particular focus on improving food security, urban greening, and backyard and community garden support.

Placer RCD was one of 20 conservation districts across the country to be awarded. NACD and NRCS established the Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant Initiative in 2016 to help conservation districts and their partners provide much-needed technical assistance for community-oriented agricultural projects in both urban and rural contexts.

This grant continues Placer RCD’s efforts and services in providing free backyard and community agriculture technical assistance to people who want to start or improve their own backyard and balcony vegetable garden, community gardens, and urban farms. In addition, the initiative helps develop projects to improve fresh food accessibility and build new organizational partnerships.