During the Depression of the 1930’s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was created to invigorate the economy, create paying jobs so Americans could live and support their families, and, in response to the agricultural situation caused by the Dust Bowl, revitalize farmland across the country. Today’s farmers and ranchers again face economic difficulties and climate change realities, including devastating droughts. Hence the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has created another corps for today’s problems – the Working Lands Climate Corps.
The Working Lands Climate Corps falls under the umbrella of
the American Climate Corps which was founded by the Biden-Harris administration
to “to train young people in high-demand skills for jobs in the clean energy
economy. The American Climate Corps will put a new generation of Americans to
work conserving our lands and waters, bolstering community resilience,
advancing environmental justice, deploying clean energy, implementing energy
efficient technologies, and tackling climate change. American Climate Corps
members will gain the skills necessary to access good-paying jobs that are
aligned with high-quality employment opportunities after they complete their
paid training or service program.”
Specifically, the Working Lands Climate Corps will train
young people to help farmers and ranchers use climate-smart agricultural
practices that are also economically beneficial. The members of the Working Lands Climate
Corps will learn practical skills and create a pathway to a career in
agriculture. The first cohort will
contain 100 people.
Farmers, ranchers, and rural communities are often left
behind by government programs, yet the impact of climate change
disproportionately affects them. The
goals of the USDA are to transform America’s food system into a more equitable
one whose workforce is representative of the nation and who can compete fairly
in new and existing markets. The agency
wishes to emphasize local and regional farms and ranches that are more
resilient and can provide safe, healthy, and nutritious food to all Americans
using climate-smart food and forestry practices. The agency has pledged to provide historic
investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities to rural communities
to accomplish these goals.
Interested organizations can submit grant proposals to host workers of the WLCC cohort. These host organizations can be “nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) U.S. organizations, Tribal governments, units of state or local government, and special district governments. Applicants must have an active SAM.gov registration.” The hosts will provide the WLCC workers training in “climate-smart agriculture practices, conservation and resilience planning, environmental justice, outreach with farmers and rural communities, leadership development, and more.”
The organization and running of the WLCC program will include cooperation among such government and non-profit agencies such as USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), AmeriCorps, The Corps Network and the National Association of ConservationDistricts (NACD). The NACD will be a major contributor to the effort because of their relationships with “conservation districts” that go all the way back to the days of the CCC.
