Growing Access to Sustainable Agriculture in Arkansas

Agriculture is the largest industry in Arkansas. Every day during growing season, about 8 billion gallons of water irrigate rice and other crops. Unfortunately, that’s twice the amount that is ultimately sustainable for the state’s water resources.

“Farmers are motivated to save water because they care about their land and communities, and because water and fuel for irrigation systems are expensive components of production,” says Jason Milks, The Nature Conservancy’s freshwater partnerships director in Arkansas. Federal agencies have created successful programs that help offset the costs of sustainable water practices and technology. But there is often a challenge between the rules of those programs and the individual needs of farmers. “Most federal programs are designed to distribute conservation funding across larger land ownerships,” says Jason. “People with small farms aren’t always competitive for this funding—and here in the Mississippi River Delta, that often means Black, Indigenous and other historically underserved farmers.”

To address those challenges in rural Arkansas, TNC is working with The KKAC Organization, a nonprofit that assists veterans and agricultural communities of color to conserve water in areas critical to groundwater recharge.