Read the following passage carefully:
To reduce soil erosion and enhance livestock resilience in drought-prone districts, the Department of Agriculture mandated the adoption of silvopastoral practices across all state-owned pastoral lands. Under this policy, livestock farmers who integrate native fodder trees with traditional rotational grazing are eligible for annual ecological stewardship grants. However, the policy explicitly restricts grant disbursement to farmers who maintain a minimum canopy cover of thirty percent and refrain from using synthetic nitrogenous fertilizers. Recent monitoring reports indicate that while soil moisture levels have improved significantly in participating zones, overall fodder yield per hectare experienced a marginal initial decline during the first two years of tree establishment. The department anticipates that full fodder productivity will recover once the saplings mature. Nevertheless, several farmers' associations have requested a temporary waiver of the synthetic fertilizer restriction to accelerate fodder growth during the transition phase, but the state government has rejected all such requests to preserve long-term soil organic health.
Statement: Based on the passage, the state government prioritizes the long-term protection of soil organic health over short-term gains in fodder yield during the transition phase.
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