Delivery of technical assistance

Section 1242 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and (B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:

(2)

Farmer-to-farmer network

The term farmer-to-farmer network means any affiliation or association of farmers that share information, technical assistance, or any other type of mutually beneficial support.

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(2) in subsection (f)(1), by inserting and for the purpose of carrying out subsection (j) before the period at the end; and (3) by adding at the end the following:

(j)

Provision of assistance to farmer-to-Farmer networks

(1)

Purposes

The purposes of this subsection are— (A) to build capacity for farmer-to-farmer networks, connect farmers with mentors or group learning opportunities, and support goal setting to increase long-term adoption of consistent, science-based, site-specific practices designed to achieve conservation objectives on land active in agricultural, forestry, or related uses; (B) to increase the provision of technical assistance that meets the specific needs of, and is accessible to, farmers, ranchers, and forest owners using different farming models, practices, and scales; (C) to establish and steward farmer-to-farmer networks; and (D) to establish reporting requirements for activities carried out under this subsection. (2)

Cooperative agreements

(A)

In general

The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with eligible entities to carry out the purposes described in paragraph (1). (B)

Eligible entities

An entity eligible to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Secretary under subparagraph (A) is— (i) a nonprofit entity described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code; (ii) a farmer-to-farmer network; (iii) an Indian Tribe or a Tribal organization (as those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); (iv) a unit of local government (including a conservation district and a conservation district association); (v) an institution of higher education; (vi) a State; and (vii) any other entity designated by the Secretary. (C)

Prioritization

In selecting eligible entities with which to enter into cooperative agreements under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that seek to meet the specific needs of, and are accessible to— (i) historically underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest owners, including limited-resource farmers, ranchers, and forest owners (as determined by the Secretary); or (ii) farmers, ranchers, and forest owners operating in high-poverty areas (as determined by the Secretary). (3)

Responsibilities of providers of assistance to farmer-to-farmer networks

(A)

In general

If an eligible entity provides assistance to establish a farmer-to-farmer network using assistance provided through a cooperative agreement under paragraph (2), the eligible entity shall be responsible for not less than 2 of the following actions: (i) Facilitating and increasing farmer access to farmer-to-farmer networks. (ii) Facilitating mentor and mentee matchmaking among farmers. (iii) Coordinating training and resources to build the skills of farmer-to-farmer network leaders and participants for effective education, grassroots-based learning, and cross-training with respect to the facilitation of, information about, and other skills with respect to building effective farmer-to-farmer networks. (iv) Maintaining and promulgating a list of relevant entities, associations, and individuals that are supporting, or have an interest in supporting, farmer-to-farmer networks. (v) Administering subawards to increase farmer access to farmer-to-farmer assistance in accordance with paragraph (4). (vi) Other actions determined appropriate by the Secretary. (B)

Language assistance

If an eligible entity provides assistance described in subparagraph (A) to a non-English speaking farmer, rancher, or forest owner, the eligible entity shall, to the greatest extent practicable, provide that assistance in the native language of the farmer, rancher, or forest owner. (C)

Reporting

An eligible entity that enters into a cooperative agreement under paragraph (2) shall annually submit to the Secretary a report describing— (i) the conservation activities carried out under the cooperative agreement; and (ii) any subawards administered pursuant to subparagraph (A)(v). (4)

Subawards

(A)

In general

If an eligible entity awards a subaward pursuant to paragraph (3)(A)(v) to an eligible subawardee described in subparagraph (B), the eligible subawardee shall use that award— (i) to plan and conduct events, and identify and develop innovative activities, to support building capacity for farmer-to-farmer networks, connecting farmers with mentors or group learning opportunities, and supporting goal setting to increase long-term adoption of consistent, science-based, site-specific conservation objectives on land active in agricultural, forestry, or related uses; and (ii) to compensate participants in the events and activities described in clause (i) at market rates. (B)

Eligible subawardees

An entity eligible for a subaward under paragraph (3)(A)(v) is— (i) a nonprofit entity described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code; (ii) a farmer-to-farmer network; (iii) an Indian Tribe or a Tribal organization (as those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); (iv) a unit of local government (including a conservation district and a conservation district association); (v) an institution of higher education; (vi) an individual; and (vii) any other entity designated by the Secretary. (C)

Requirements

The Secretary, in conjunction with the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, shall establish any necessary additional requirements for subawards under paragraph (3)(A)(v). (5)

Reporting

Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describing the status of activities funded under this subsection, including— (A) funding awarded; (B) the results of the activities, including, if feasible, conservation practice adoption outcomes; and (C) if applicable, outreach activities the Secretary has considered incorporating into other conservation technical assistance efforts as a result of the program established under this subsection. (6)

Funding

The Secretary shall use to carry out this subsection such sums as are necessary from annual appropriations for conservation operations of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.