By Leah Douglas
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday said it had canceled a $3 billion program for climate-smart farming projects after a review found it did not align with the priorities of the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump has attempted to slash other climate efforts approved during the administration of former president Joe Biden, including a $20 billion funding program for projects that reduce greenhouse gases.
The Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities allocated $3 billion to 135 projects in every state that encouraged soil health, carbon sequestration, reduced methane emissions and other climate-friendly practices, according to a project dashboard on the USDA website.
Some of the funded projects included organizations like the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, companies like Archer-Daniels-Midland, and trade groups for commodities like soybeans and rice.
The USDA determined that the majority of the projects provided too little money to farmers and too much to administrative costs, said an agency press release.
Some projects may be allowed to continue, or grantees can reapply to a reformed version of the program if they prove that a minimum of 65% of their funds will go to farmers and if they had distributed a payment to a farmer by December 31, 2024, the release said.
(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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