GROW SMART Act

Key Points

• This plan helps farmers and cities team up to save water without shutting down farms. It provides money and expert help for creative ways to manage water during dry times.
• The program supports high-tech farming. This includes growing plants in water instead of soil, placing solar panels over fields to shade crops, and using advanced irrigation systems that waste very little water.
• To get help, farmers must usually partner with a city, a local business, or a conservation group. These partners work together to share water supplies so that everyone has enough during a drought.
• Unlike some older programs, this one tries to keep farm workers employed. It focuses on projects that keep land in use rather than just paying farmers to leave their fields empty and dry.
• The government would pay for 75% of the costs for most projects, but it could pay the full cost for projects led by Native American Tribes.
• If Congress passes this, it would provide $5 million in new funding every year starting in 2028 to help rural communities stay productive even when water is scarce.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.