खेत र फार्महरूको दीर्घकालीन जीवन्तता माटो र पानी स्रोतहरूको दिगो स्वास्थ्यमा निर्भर गर्दछ। यद्यपि, धेरैजसो संरक्षण अभ्यासहरूलाई किसान र फार्मकर्मीहरूबाट अग्रिम लगानी आवश्यक पर्दछ, जुन कार्यान्वयनको लागि बाधाको रूपमा काम गर्न सक्छ। अमेरिकी कृषि विभाग (USDA) ले प्राकृतिक स्रोतहरूको संरक्षणमा किसान, फार्मकर्मी र जग्गाधनीहरूलाई सहयोग गर्न विभिन्न दृष्टिकोणहरू अपनाउने धेरै संघीय कार्यक्रमहरू प्रदान गर्दछ।
Some support landowners by removing land from production—this is how the Conservation Reserve Program generally operates, offering 10- to 15-year leases on land for removing it from agriculture. One function of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program is to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands that may have been previously farmed.
However, a number of management practices in farming and ranching preserve soil, water, and other natural resources, such as planting cover crops, extending crop rotations, reducing tillage, and rotational grazing. For farmers, ranchers, and landowners interested in maintaining production on the land while pursuing these practices, there are “working lands conservation” programs.
