<p>United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsacks makes some remarks during the 2023 National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) annual meetings and announces major investments and strategies to conserve water, address climate change and build drought resilience in the West, supported in part by funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in New Orleans, LA, on Feb. 23, 2023. 
</p><p>The Western Water and Working Lands Framework for Conservation Action identifies six major water and land management challenges, guidelines for identifying vulnerable agricultural landscapes, and 13 strategies for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) state leaders to help water resource managers and producers respond to the challenges. The WaterSMART Initiative will invest $25 million in three new priority areas and 37 existing priority areas, assisting communities and producers in 12 Western states. Investments for this year’s WaterSMART Initiative projects are being guided by the new framework. NRCS leveraged stakeholder feedback from a public listening session, input from the field and the latest scientific data to shape and inform the framework.  
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 (USDA photo by Christophe Paul)
<p><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/41284017@N08">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>
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Christophe Paul/Photojournalist
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/52687587889/">20230213-NRCS-CDP-0030</a>