Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) Your Questions Answered

Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) Program

By Carole Estes, FARMS Manager, Southwest Florida Water Management District

Q: What is FARMS?

The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems, or FARMS for short, is a program designed to serve as an incentive to the agricultural community to promote water quantity, water quality, and natural systems best management practices (BMPs) to conserve groundwater use and promote resource sustainability. The program is an agricultural cost-share reimbursement program that reduces groundwater withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer through conservation and alternative water supply BMPs. Water quality and natural systems improvement BMPs also may be cost-shared in priority areas in conjunction with water conservation BMPs. The program is a public/private partnership developed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) in 2003.

Q: What is a best management practice, or BMP, and what does that look like for FARMS?

A best management practice (BMP) is a method that has been determined to be the most effective and practical means for improving water conservation and quality in agricultural discharges. Examples of commonly used BMPs for FARMS include:

• Surface water pump stations
• Water control structures
• Automatic irrigation controls
• Soil moisture sensors
• Weather stations

Q: What are some of the benefits to the water resources through the FARMS program?

Implementing agricultural BMPs provides many water resource benefits, including:

• Reduction of groundwater withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer
• Improvement of ground and/or surface water quality impacted by groundwater withdrawals
• Applied nutrient reduction or retention
• Improved natural system functions within wetlands and watersheds

Approved projects support the district’s Regional Water Supply Plan, Southern Water Use Caution Area or SWUCA Recovery Strategy, Strategic Plan, and Springs Management Plans.

Q: How much water has been offset through the FARMS program?

From the inception of the FARMS program in 2003 through 2023, the total projected groundwater offset from the more than 240 approved FARMS projects is 31.5 million gallons of water per day at an overall average cost-benefit of $2.43 per thousand gallons of water offset.

Q: As a member of the agricultural community, how do you qualify for FARMS funding?

If you are a member of the agricultural community and have a district water-use permit, you can apply for FARMS funding. To qualify for funding, projects must be located in the district and include one or more of the following BMP strategies:

1. Utilize an alternative water supply or technology to reduce groundwater use
2. Improve irrigation water quality and watershed ecology by reducing reliance on poorer quality groundwater
3. Reduce nutrient applications or increase nutrient retention

The FARMS program may reimburse a grower up to 50 percent of the total project costs. Some projects may qualify for up to 75 percent reimbursement of total project costs based on the water resource benefits and the project location.

To learn more about the FARMS program, visit the district’s website at www.watermatters.org/farms or contact the district at 941-404-1452.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

   • Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.
   • Indicator 6.4.1: Change in water-use efficiency over time.
   • Indicator 6.4.2: Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources.

2. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
   • Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area.
   • Indicator 15.1.2: Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type.

Analysis

The issues highlighted in the article are related to water quantity, water quality, and natural systems best management practices (BMPs) in agriculture. These issues are connected to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

The article discusses the Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program, which aims to promote water quantity, water quality, and natural systems BMPs in agriculture to conserve groundwater use and promote resource sustainability. This aligns with SDG 6’s target of increasing water-use efficiency and ensuring sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater. The program also aims to reduce groundwater withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer, which addresses the issue of water scarcity.

SDG 15: Life on Land

The FARMS program also contributes to SDG 15 by promoting the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems. The program supports the improvement of natural system functions within wetlands and watersheds, which are important for biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Based on the article’s content, the specific targets under these SDGs can be identified as follows:

Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.

Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

The article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress towards these targets:

Indicator 6.4.1: Change in water-use efficiency over time.

The FARMS program aims to promote water-use efficiency in agriculture through the implementation of BMPs such as surface water pump stations, water control structures, automatic irrigation controls, soil moisture sensors, and weather stations. Monitoring the change in water-use efficiency over time can indicate progress towards achieving Target 6.4.

Indicator 6.4.2: Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources.

The FARMS program’s focus on reducing groundwater withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer contributes to addressing water stress. Monitoring the proportion of freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources can provide an indicator of progress towards reducing water stress and achieving Target 6.4.

Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area.

The article does not directly mention forest area, but the FARMS program’s emphasis on improving natural system functions within wetlands and watersheds indirectly contributes to the conservation and restoration of forest areas. Monitoring the forest area as a proportion of total land area can provide an indicator of progress towards achieving Target 15.1.

Indicator 15.1.2: Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type.

The article does not explicitly mention protected areas, but the FARMS program’s focus on improving natural system functions within wetlands and watersheds can indirectly contribute to the protection of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity. Monitoring the proportion of these sites covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type, can provide an indicator of progress towards achieving Target 15.1.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators