Conservation Planning refers to the management of the natural resources on your land. Similar to a business or strategic plan, a Conservation Plan (CP) is a formal document that outlines your objectives and identifies strategies (i.e. conservation practices) you can use to achieve them. Common objectives include things like: reduce soil erosion, improve soil health, increase irrigation efficiency, and create habitat for wildlife. More than 120 conservation practices have been identified to help achieve those objectives and some of the most commonly used practices on Hawaiʻi farms include cover crops, vegetative barriers, crop rotation, nutrient management and windbreaks. A CP also documents details about your farm and typically includes land-use maps, soil information, inventory of resources, etc. Strictly speaking, developing a CP is voluntary, but in order to comply with local grading and grubbing ordinances, farmers who till the land need to obtain a permit or be implementing an approved conservation plan. In addition to ensuring your operation is complying with local environmental ordinances, proper conservation planning can result in more workable and productive land, which should allow you to increase your production and lead to greater income. Choosing to develop a CP may sound overwhelming at first, but resources are available to assist you in this effort.
Why is this important?
Conservation planning is an important starting point for maintaining and improving the natural resources that support productive and profitable agricultural operations. Every farm has its own unique resource assets, problems or concerns and it’s up to you to decide on the best ways to improve the productivity, sustainability, and profitability of your operation.
Have you ever considered any of the following issues?
- Would you like the opportunity to enhance the natural resources on your land?
- Do you have muddy runoff, carrying precious nutrients and water away?
- Is sediment accumulating in the lower part of your land or field?
- Are your fields less productive now than they once were?
- Is your property providing wildlife habitat?
- Do you need more and more fertilizer and water to sustain yields?
- Are there invasive species where once native species and productive pastureland thrived?
- Do you need to comply with certain regulations?
If any of these questions or others like them have come up, it may be time for you to develop a CP for your farm. Working with a conservation planner, you can develop a conservation plan that can be used to:
- Identify immediate or potential resource problems that could hurt your production.
- Comply with environmental regulations.
- Prepare for agricultural or market certifications.
- Address regulatory requirements.
- Qualify for various USDA conservation grant programs.
- Develop alternatives and identify strategies for implementing on-farm solutions.
- Establish a reasonable schedule to apply needed conservation practices.
- Save time, labor and energy.
Potential remedies
There are several common conservation practices that you may implement depending on what issues you are facing. Following are brief descriptions of a few conservation practices. They explain how the practices work and how they help improve a farm. Additional details such as things to think about when considering the practice and basic maintenance needs can be found in the resources listed at the end of this lesson.
Cover Crop – Integrating temporary plantings of grasses and / or legumes between crop cycles can reduce soil erosion, increase nutrients available for future crops, and increase soil organic matter.
Crop Rotation – Changing the crops grown in a field, usually in a planned sequence can help reduce soil erosion and provide savings in fertilizer costs and pest control.
Vegetative Barriers – Using strips of grass or other permanent vegetation can help trap sediment or nutrients, control runoff flow and even provide a habitat for birds or animals.
Nutrient Management – The development of a nutrient management plan helps reduce fertilizer costs by ensuring that nutrients are applied at the proper time and protects water quality. The plan might also identify areas of concern such as flood plains and steep slopes.
Pest Management – Using a pest management strategy that identifies specific treatments for specific pests saves money by ensuring that the treatment is applied only when needed, which prevents over-treatment and saves you money.
Wind Break – Utilizing rows of trees and shrubs that protect areas from wind reduces wind erosion or wind damage to crops, serves as a sound barrier and protects your crops from potential chemical drift from neighboring farms.
The preceding is merely a snapshot of some of the many conservation practices you can implement on your farm. You should keep in mind that some of the most profitable practices, like nutrient or pest management, require little or no financial investment, can reduce expenses and may go the farthest toward protecting water quality. Other practices might not immediately increase farm income, but can pay off in other ways through cleaner water, more wildlife, long-term soil conservation, and an improved quality of life.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation program that helps producers make conservation work for them. Together, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and producers invest in solutions that conserve natural resources for the future while also improving agricultural operations.
Through EQIP, NRCS provides agricultural producers with financial resources and one-on-one help to plan and implement improvements, or what NRCS calls conservation practices. Using these practices can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving agricultural operations. Through EQIP, you can voluntarily implement conservation practices, and NRCS co-invests in these practices with you.
You can find more information on this program and learn how to apply for it on their website at:
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/eqip/
Next steps and resources
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service provides America’s farmers and ranchers with financial and technical assistance with voluntarily conservation planning. You can find out more about their program here:
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/about/
Multiple offices are located across Hawaiʻi. Check the NRCS directory to locate the office nearest your farm:
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/pia/contact/local/
The Pacific Island Area NRCS website is located at: http://www.pia.nrcs.usda.gov/
The Hawaiʻi Association of Conservation Districts (HACD) is a government entity that encompasses 16 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) throughout the State of Hawaiʻi. District employees are available to help you develop a conservation plan. A directory of SWCD employees is included with the NRCS directory (above) or visit HACD’s homepage to locate the district serving your farm.
The Oʻahu Resource Conservation and Development Council (Oʻahu RC&D) is a private non-profit organization that provides conservation planning assistance to farmers. While the majority of services are provided to Oʻahu-based farms, any Hawaiʻi farm seeking a conservation plan, or related technical assistance, can work with Oʻahu RC&D. More information about their services is available from their homepage:
For the do-it-yourselfer, Oʻahu RC&D has created an on-line conservation planning tool called 808 Planner. Users create a free account and use the program to map fields and select conservation practices that align with their goals. If they intend to use the conservation plan as a tool to qualify for grading and grubbing exemptions it is necessary to seek approval of the plan from the local Soil and Water Conservation District.
808 Planner also provides a quick summary of all 120+ conservation practices that have been identified for Hawaiʻi’s farms.