Kauai County Farm Service Agency Is Accepting Emergency Conservation Program Applications

(LIHUE, Hawaii), May 22, 2019 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director CED Calvin Threat today announced that Kauai County is accepting applications for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to address damages from the April 2024 Kona storm. ECP signup begins today and will end on July 22, 2024.

The approved ECP practices under this authorization include debris removal deposited on farmland by wind and/or water, grading/shaping, releveling of farmland, replacing and restoring permanent fencing, as well as restoring conservation structures and other installations.

ECP assists producers with the recovery cost to restore the agricultural land to pre-disaster conditions. Approved ECP applicants may receive up to 75 percent of the cost of approved restoration activity.  

Producers with damage from such events must apply for assistance prior to beginning reconstructive work. FSA’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and environmental compliance review process is required to be completed before any actions are taken. Submitting an application after reconstructive work has been completed may not qualify for ECP. 

FSA county committees will evaluate applications based on an on-site inspection of the damaged land, taking into consideration the type and extent of the damage. An on-site inspection does not guarantee that cost-share funding will be provided.

The use of ECP funds is limited to activities to return the land to the relative pre-disaster condition. Conservation concerns that were present on the land prior to the disaster are not eligible for ECP assistance.

For more information on ECP, please contact the Kauai County FSA office at 808-245-9014 ext. 2 or visit https://www.farmers.gov/recover.