Allegheny and Westmoreland Conservation Districts Receive 2024 Urban and Community Conservation Grant
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the 2024 Urban and Community Conservation (UAC) grant initiative recipients. These grants are open to any conservation district or tribe within the U.S. and its territories.
Allegheny County Conservation District (ACCD) received a $60,000 UAC Implementation Grant. Their project is: “Cultivating healthy soil, just urban agriculture, and community orchards to support Pittsburgh’s communities’ vision for fresh food production.” ACCD and Tree Pittsburgh are collaborating to test and remediate soil on urban agriculture sites throughout Allegheny County, then plant them with edible fruit and nut trees, berries, other perennial edibles and native wildflowers, creating biodiverse and beautiful public orchards that produce free food for residents.
Westmoreland Conservation District received a $10,000 UAC Planning Grant. Their project is: “Identifying Underserved Communities and Evaluating their Needs for Urban Agriculture in Westmoreland County.” The district will identify underserved communities, potential partners, and their specific needs for urban agriculture, which will allow the district to develop a plan to better serve them. The district will learn what resources are available and be able to enhance their capacity to deliver technical assistance.
Since 2016, NACD has led the efforts of this successful grant program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help conservation districts and tribes build capacity for urban technical assistance and small-scale conservation, while addressing community needs in both rural and urban areas.
Click here to read the press release.