To distribute FPP funds, NRCS publishes a request for proposals in the Federal Register. The RFP is also posted online. When a state or local application for matching funds is approved, NRCS executes a cooperative agreement on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation. The agreement describes the transaction, including information about the parcel, the type of interest to be acquired, the project cost and an estimate of the federal share. Enrollment in the FPP limits the land to agricultural use for a minimum of 30 years.
Preference is given to projects that protect farmland in perpetuity.
Failure to do so is considered a violation of the agreement. The cooperative agreement describes the role of NRCS in the development and implementation of a conservation plan. Finally, the agreement contains a reversionary clause requiring the state or local government to reimburse the federal government if the terms of the cooperative agreement are not enforced or if the easement is terminated. The federal government's efforts to stem farmland conversion began with the passage of the Farmland Protection Policy Act in 1981. The FPPA directs federal agencies to evaluate the extent to which federally funded projects lead to the conversion of agricultural land and to consider less harmful alternatives.