“A Good Program in Theory”: Opportunities for Administrative Improvements to USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is a unique, partner-led, region-focused US Department of Agriculture conservation program. Under the authorities of the 2018 Farm Bill, RCPP operates through two components: RCPP Classic and “Alternative Funding Arrangements,” which allow partners to directly engage with producers using innovative methods. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act supercharged the program with an additional $4.95 billion.

However, slow policy rollouts, inconsistent guidance, high turnover among NRCS coordinators, and challenges with innovative projects raised concerns about the agency’s ability to efficiently allocate and implement this funding. In response, NRCS established an internal improvement initiative in 2023. That initiative has made some progress, but significant challenges remain in realizing RCPP’s potential to deliver impactful, performance-based conservation.

This report—informed by the authors’ own experiences with the program, support to and interviews of partners, and a survey covering more than 40 projects—offers actionable recommendations to address structural gaps, improve program efficiency, and align RCPP with its conservation and innovation mandate.

Like this report or have feedback you think we need? Contact Harry Huntley at hhuntley@policyinnovation.org.