The District works closely with the agricultural community to improve efficiencies and protect natural systems.
Florida agriculture is almost as important to Florida’s economy as tourism. Agricultural activities contribute about $7 billion to the state’s economy every year. But the value of agriculture in our state can’t only be measured in dollars — agriculture plays an important role in helping to preserve our environment.
Agricultural and forested lands provide open spaces that offer safe havens for a variety of wildlife habitat. They help control the natural flow of streams and soak up extra amounts of water from heavy rainfalls, which lessens the hazards of flooding. Agricultural open spaces help preserve wetlands, conserve soils and recharge aquifers. In addition, they provide natural buffer zones by separating heavily congested urban areas. These buffers reduce air and water pollution throughout a region. Agriculture means much more than just supplying foods and goods.
This program and its Ag Teams offer assistance for qualifying agricultural projects with incentive- and ecosystem-based resource management as a passive alternative to permitting.
The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program to promote surface water and groundwater resource sustainability for projects that promote tailwater recovery and/or surface water use, while reducing groundwater withdrawals.
Mini-FARMS is a spin off of the Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program. While the FARMS Program funds larger projects, the Mini-FARMS program reimburses growers up to 85 percent of their costs, up to a maximum of $8,000 per approved water resources project.
Staff from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – Office of Agricultural Water Policy are co-located at District service offices and work closely with the local agricultural community to promote best management practices.
The LECI committee was formed to create a comprehensive and unified approach to landscape water use efficiency through proper design and maintenance. The committee is using tools developed for the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods program to disseminate a consistent message to a wide audience.
Free evaluation of agricultural irrigation systems, assisting growers with improved efficiencies.
The District has proactively undertaken regional water supply planning to ensure that growing public supply water needs and the water needs of agriculture and other use sectors can be met while at the same time protecting natural systems.
The District works closely with the agricultural community to address the unique water needs of agriculture — the largest water use sector in the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA).
Assisting the agricultural community by improving the quality of ground water used for irrigation.
What’s so important about a wetland?
