Advancing Sustainable Ag Innovations - · PDF fileAdvancing Sustainable Ag Innovations RESEARCH ... Agriculture), the name was changed ... where appropriate, natural biological cycles

www.southernsare.org1

Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE)

PROMOTING PROFITABLITY, CONSERVATION AND QUALITY OF LIFE | WWW.SOUTHERNSARE.ORG

Advancing Sustainable Ag Innovations

RESEARCHEDUCATION

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTNETWORKING


About SAREThe Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is a USDA-funded organization whose goal is to further sustainable agricul-ture practices across the country.

SARE’s mission is to advance -- to the whole of American agriculture -- innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education.

SARE is supported by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and operates under cooperative agreements with the University of Maryland and the University of Vermont.

Authorized under the 1985 Farm Bill as LISA (Low-Input Sustainable Agriculture), the name was changed to SARE in the early 1990s to reflect the broader scope of the principles of sustainable agriculture and to ex-press the dual mission of research and education.

From its inception, the program’s goal has been to support farmers, researchers, educators, government agencies, and community organi-zations as they explore sustainable agriculture practices that improve stewardship, profitability, and the social and economic health of farm communities.

The primary tools of the SARE program are grants, which are offered annually to a variety of agricultural audiences. Grants are not the only tools, but grant funds are understood to be the chief lubricant in the de-velopment of new approaches and new ideas. SARE seeks out innovation in sustainable agriculture, and rewards grant applicants who offer up interesting, potentially workable ideas.

The SARE program also emphasizes outreach and the dissemination of project results so that the grant program will have the widest possible benefits. In SARE’s 25-plus years, the program has awarded over 5,000 research grants, totaling more than $200 million.

SARE’s research and outreach efforts are administered through four re-gional offices: the South, North Central, Northeast and the West.

This publication tells the story of the SARE program in the Southern region: Its history, grants, professional development program, and net-working efforts to support an enduring American agriculture of the high-est quality. In this vision, agriculture is profitable, protects the nation’s land and water, and is a force for a rewarding way of life for farmers and ranchers whose quality products and operations sustain their communi-ties and society.

Jeff Jordan

SSARE Program Director,Professor of Agricultural and --Applied Economics

College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

University of Georgia, Griffin campus

A Message from the SSARE Director

Welcome to Southern SARE! For almost 30 years, SARE’s Southern Re-gion program has been a place where in-novation, inclusiveness and transparency are hallmarks of our efforts. Our six grant programs have funded over 1,000 projects totaling more than $56 million. Throughout the South, researchers, farm-ers, extension and community develop-ment professionals, as well as under-graduate and graduate students are at the forefront of the sustainable agriculture movement, in large measure due to the support from SSARE. The Southern SARE program is a collabo-ration between the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Okla-homa. We are particularly proud of our efforts with youth, limited resource and minority farmers, and NGOs in the South. The advancement of sustainable agricul-ture requires the hard work and dedication of countless people and institutions.

I hope you will read this story of sustain-able agriculture and the SARE program and join us as we promote the three “P’s” of sustainable agriculture: People, Place and Profit for southern communities.


What is Sustainable Agriculture?According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, sustainability integrates many disciplines, goals and agricultural practices.

The term “sustainable agriculture” was addressed in the 1990 Farm Bill and is defined as, “an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long-term:

• Satisfy human food and fiber needs;• Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon

which the agricultural economy depends;• Make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm

resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls;

• Sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and• Enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.” (Spe-

cial Reference Briefs Series No. SRB 99-02)

SARE focuses on three broad goals, or what SARE calls the three Pillars of Sustainability:

• Profit over the long term;• Stewardship of our nation’s land, air and water;• Quality of life for farmers, ranchers and their communities.

Every day, farmers and ranchers around the world develop new, innova-tive strategies to produce and distribute food, fuel and fiber sustainably. While these strategies vary greatly, they all embrace these three broad goals. There are almost as many ways to reach these goals as there are farms and ranches in America.

A cattle rancher might divide his rangeland into paddocks in a rotational grazing system to better manage soil and water resources while improv-ing animal productivity. A field crop farmer might implement a rotation to break up pest cycles, improve soil fertility and cut costs, or use cover crops—non-cash crops grown for their benefit to the soil and ability to suppress weeds. A fruit and vegetable grower might try a new marketing approach such as selling directly to restaurants in a nearby city to gain a larger share of the consumer food dollar.

No one recipe works on every farm and ranch. Sustainable agriculture can be practiced by the small farmer with three acres of land, or the large, conventional farmer with 3,000 acres. And sustainable agriculture has application in rural communities, as well as urban areas. SARE strives to promote sustainable ag practices that are economically viable, environ-mentally sound, and good for all members of the community.


Our Grants

Southern SARE archives

Texas Tech University

University of Florida

The primary tools of the SARE program are grants, which are offered annually to farmers, researchers, educators, non-profits, community based organizations and community activists in the agricultural community. Grants are not the only tools, but grant funds are understood to be the chief lubricant in the development of new ap-proaches and new ideas.

The Southern region SARE program offers sev-eral grant opportunities:

Research and Education Grants

Research & Education Grants are the flagship grants of the SSARE program. R&E Grants target teams of interdisciplin-ary researchers specializing in sustainable agricultural sys-tems. R&E Grants tap into the core of SARE fundamentals and sustainable ag -- the application of a systems approach to research that aims to understand how a complex system functions as a whole.

Large Systems Grants

Large Systems Research Grants are an extension of Research & Education Grants projects. These grants accomplish long-term research goals and fulfill whole systems sustainable ag approaches by keeping the research team and research in-frastructure together over the many years needed to obtain useful and meaningful long-term research results.

Professional Development Grants

Professional Development Grants are our train-the-trainer grants for ag professionals. The PDP grants provide sus-tainable agriculture education and outreach strategies for Cooperative Extension, NRCS staff, NGOs, and others who work directly with farmers and ranchers. Grant outcomes can include workshops, field days, demonstration sites, courses and curricula, and training manuals.


Graduate Student Grants are for eligible Masters and PhD students who are interested in conducting sustainable agri-culture research.

On-Farm Research Grants

On-Farm Research Grants are conducted by agricultural pro-fessionals, such as Cooperative Extension, NRCS, university researchers, and NGOs who work directly with farmers and farmer groups to conduct on-farm research projects. The research and marketing projects are designed to help the farmers they work with find sustainable ag solutions to vari-ous ag production issues.

Producer Grants are targeted to the individual farmer and farmer groups. The purpose of this grant program is for farmers/ranchers to conduct projects to solve challenges and problems they face and develop information on what works and doesn’t work so that other farmers and ranchers facing those same problems can benefit from the results of the funded project.

Sustainable Community Grants

Sustainable Community Innovation Grants are designed to support projects and programs that blend sound communi-ty development with sustainable agriculture strategies. Any person or organization with an idea that will link sustainable agriculture activities to healthy rural community develop-ment is eligible to apply for the grant.



Georgia Gwinnett College Fayetteville, AR Public Schools

Graduate Student Grants Producer Grants


Table 1. Grant Dollars Allocated Per State in the Southern SARE Region, 1988-2016

Projects and Funding 1988-2016

In SARE’s history, the Southern region has awarded 1,034 grants totaling $56,157,571 as shown in Tables 1 and 2.

The most money has been allotted to Research and Education grants, totaling $41.1 million, followed by PDP grants at $8.6 million. In terms of grants awarded in dollars, the top five states are North Carolina with $10.4 million, Georgia with $8.2 million, Arkansas with $5.8 million, Texas with $5.1 million, and Virginia rounding out the list with $4.49 million. (See Figure 1 for a percentage break-down).

Grants by the Numbers

Southern SARE has awarded 1,034 grants from 1988-2016. Table 2 shows the breakdown of grant numbers by grant type awarded to each state.

North Carolina tops the states in the Southern region with 186 grants awarded, followed by Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and Texas.

All states have received funding in at least one grant category. The U.S. Virgin Islands is the only state to receive fewer that 10 grants during the life of the SARE program. The Virgin Islands have never funded a grant in the PDP, Graduate Student or Producer grant categories.

State R&E OFRG PDP Graduate Producer SCIG TotalAL $1,792,028.00 $76,221.00 $606,622.00 $65,950.00 $138,603.00 $144,956.00 $2,824,380.00AR $4,456,268.00 $134,496.00 $1,001,133.00 $133,903.00 $88,072.00 $49,829.00 $5,863,701.00FL $2,921,424.00 $241,528.00 $563,190.00 $316,026.00 $197,038.00 $87,296.00 $4,326,502.00GA $7,177,267.00 $118,340.00 $609,882.00 $82,692.00 $203,648.00 $86,660.00 $8,278,489.00KY $1,924,429.00 $139,741.00 $1,185,158.00 $46,461.00 $170,106.00 $58,312.00 $3,524,207.00LA $939,833.00 $14,308.00 $271,966.00 $80,734.00 $52,422.00 $19,930.00 $1,379,193.00MS $1,044,423.00 $29,997.00 $511,030.00 $20,401.00 $99,524.00 $64,348.00 $1,769,723.00NC $7,618,676.00 $119,190.00 $1,771,481.00 $351,526.00 $358,011.00 $200,117.00 $10,419,001.00OK $1,743,887.00 $89,256.00 $387,878.00 $19,969.00 $122,429.00 $26,864.00 $2,390,283.00PR $814,821.00 $29,924.00 $35,740.00 $10,000.00 $62,754.00 $10,000.00 $963,239.00SC $1,083,833.00 $92,377.00 $318,957.00 $40,927.00 $126,485.00 $63,620.00 $1,726,199.00TN $1,037,531.00 $29,990.00 $400,905.00 $103,945.00 $188,561.00 $126,198.00 $1,887,130.00TX $4,148,890.00 $144,309.00 $453,355.00 $148,886.00 $202,431.00 $30,000.00 $5,127,871.00VA $3,430,102.00 $85,819.00 $346,969.00 $153,388.00 $361,549.00 $112,727.00 $4,490,554.00USVI $892,423.00 $14,957.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $10,000.00 $917,380.00

Misc. $94,026.00 $175,693.00Total $41,119,861.00 $1,360,453.00 $8,639,959.00 $1,574,808 $2,371,633 $1,090,857 $56,157,571


Table 2. Number of Grants Allocated Per State in the Southern SARE Region, 1988-2016

Figure 1. Grant Dollar Percentages Per State in the Southern SARE Region, 1988-2016

AL 4% AR

11%

FL 7%

GA 17%

KY 5%

LA 2%

MS 3%

NC 19%

OK 4%

PR 2%

SC 3%

TN 3%

TX 10%

VA 8%

USVI 2%

State R&E OFRG PDP Graduate Producer SCIG TotalAL 18 7 9 7 17 12 70AR 27 10 13 14 8 5 77FL 22 16 9 32 22 7 108GA 45 8 8 10 25 9 105KY 13 11 17 5 23 6 75LA 8 1 5 8 6 2 30MS 9 2 6 2 10 4 33NC 49 10 23 35 53 15 185OK 12 5 7 2 13 3 42PR 6 2 2 1 7 1 19SC 7 7 7 4 15 8 48TN 8 3 6 11 19 7 54TX 27 10 5 15 22 3 82VA 17 8 5 15 43 9 97USVI 5 1 0 0 0 1 7Total 273 101 122 161 283 92 1034


In the Southern region, SARE supports sustainable agriculture in 13 states and two U.S. territories.

University of Georgia initially served as the program’s host institution beginning in 1988. Chuck Laughlin served as the program director for two years, after which time the program moved to Louisi-ana State University. William Brown served as the program director. In 1993, the program was trans-ferred back to University of Georgia, where it currently remains.

Paula Ford served as the program director at UGA from 1993 to 1996. Rick Welsh took over as pro-gram director from 1997 to 1998. In 1999, Jeff Jordan became program director, where he currently remains in the position.

The primary tools of the Southern SARE program are grants. The original grants are the Research & Education Grants – SARE’s flagship grants program to drive sustainability across the region.

In 1991, USDA and EPA established ACE – Agriculture in Concert with the Environment – grants with the intent on funding projects related to environmental benefits or reduction in environmental damage through the use of sustainable ag practices. The first ACE grant was awarded in 1992 and the program lasted until 1996.

In 1994, Southern SARE created the Professional Development Program to help drive sustainable ag education and outreach through the Cooperative Extension System. The initial host institution for the Professional Development Program and the management of its grants was North Carolina State Uni-versity. Roger Crickenberger served as the program manager, along with John O’Sullivan with North Carolina A&T University and Jim Lukens, representing ATTRA. In 2003, the program moved to the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Oklahoma, where it remains. Jim Horne initially served as the program manager. David Redhage currently holds the position.

In 1994, the Southern SARE program also added Producer Grants to recognize farmer contributions to sustainable ag research. The first Producer Grant funded in the region was a project out of Texas that explored controlling pests with beneficial insects in pecan orchards.

June 14, 1984: SARE is born with the Ag Productivity Act of 1983.

1985: Con-gress autho-rizes funding for SARE in the 1985 Farm Bill.

1988: Congress appropriates $3.9 million for SARE.

1991: USDA and EPA establish ACE environmental grants, funded from 1992-1996.

1993: SSARE host institu-tion moves to University of Georgia.

1998: In 10 years, SSARE pro-gram funds over 200 projects, totaling $14.8 million.

1997: SSARE requires a sys-tems approach to sustainable ag research.

1994: PDP and Producer Grants are cre-ated.

A History of Southern SARE


In 2000, Southern SARE launched its Graduate Student Grants program. The first project funded was from University of Florida on the feeding behavior of pests in response to damaged and diseased peanut plants.

On-Farm Research Grants and Sustainable Community Innovation Grants soon followed in 2002.

A systems approach to sustainable ag research, specifically as outlined in Research & Education Grants, had been a commitment for the Southern SARE program since 1997. By 2010, Southern SARE was strengthening its focus on systems thinking with a new grant program. Large Systems Grants were offered in response to the need for long-term multidisciplinary studies. The first grant offered was an extension of long-term agroecosystems research in the Texas High Plains, which SARE had been supporting for well over a decade.

The Southern SARE program continues to guide farmers/ranchers, researchers, nonprofits, com-munities, and Extension educators in sustainable ag efforts. Recently, a new program was added for youth. The James Harrison Hill, Sr. Young Scholar Enhancement Grant program introduces high school youth and undergraduate college students to sustainable agriculture through collaborations with researchers on sustainable ag projects.

The Southern SARE program has come a long way in 25 years. In 1988, Southern SARE shared a very small portion of the $3.9 million that Congress appropriated for the entire SARE program. Twelve grants were awarded in that inaugural year. Today, Southern SARE is allocated more than $5 million to administer its grants programs from the $20 million Congressional appropriations for the entire SARE program. In its 25-year history, the regional program has awarded over 1,000 grants totaling more than $56 million.

2010 New fo-cus on systems research with the creation of Large Systems Grants.

2002: On-Farm Research Grants are cre-ated.

2000: Gradu-ate Student Grant program is created.

2013: SSARE launches its Young Scholars Enhancement Grants.

2008: 20 years of SSARE -- 498 projects, $23 million.

2011: National SARE funds its 5,000th project.

2014: SARE celebrates its 25th anniver-say.

2002: Sustain-able Commu-nity Innovation Grants are created.


Begun in 1994, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Educa-tion (SARE) Professional Develop-ment Program provides sustainable agriculture education and outreach strategies for Cooperative Exten-sion System and Natural Resources Conservation Service staff and oth-er agricultural educators who work directly with farmers and ranchers. Administered and funded by SARE, the Professional Development Pro-gram receives annual congressional allocations of about $4.5 million.

SARE’s Professional Develop-ment Program funds activities that educate ag professionals in up-to-date strategies and technologies to help farmers and ranchers increase profits and lessen environmental impacts. Funded through a com-petitive process in SARE’s four regions, PDP grants sponsor such activities as producing workshops, creating educational manuals and videos, and conducting on-farm tours and demonstrations. In addi-tion to the competitive grants, each state has responsibilities to conduct sustainable ag training through the SARE state coordinator.

SARE State Coordinators are vital for expanding sustainable agricul-ture training for Extension, NRCS, and other agricultural profession-als, who will then help producers transition to a more sustainable ag-riculture. The SARE PDP program is a “train the trainer” program. As a result, farmers are not the focus of the training, but are the ultimate beneficiaries. Due to the diversity of the Southern region, each state develops its own methods for dis-seminating SARE program oppor-tunities, as well as the results of research and education grants. The SARE State Coordinator is a 25% minimum position within the 1862 or 1890 colleges in the state.

Professional Development Program

Did you know?

SARE is represented in every

state in the Southern region?

State coordinators at both

1862 and 1890 Land Grant

institutions are available

to answer questions about

SARE or sustainable agricul-

ture.


Learn more at:

http://www.southernsare.org/Professional-Development-Program


Youth and Sustainable Ag

Providing for tomorrow’s leaders in sustainable agriculture is at an inflection point. There is a growing public interest in sustainable ag-riculture and at the same time there is a paucity of collegiate students engaged in sustainable agriculture programs. It is well documented that professional early engagement of students influences their college educa-tion and career choices. Therefore, the Southern SARE program offers grants as an enhancement of Research and Education projects targeted at attracting freshman and sophomore undergraduate and/or pre-colle-giate high school students to pursue college degrees emphasizing sus-tainable agriculture.

Many of the SARE funded projects are ideally suited for student intern-ship mentoring opportunities. Started in 2013, the James Harrison Hill, Sr. Young Scholar Enhancement (YSE) Grant is designed to provide funds to an open Research and Education Grant project to hire a high school or college student for the summer to participate in a research program in sustainable agriculture. The program emphasizes, but is not limited to, attracting socially disadvantaged minorities who are currently underrepresented in sustainable agriculture careers and professions.

A SSARE James Harrison Hill, Sr. Young Scholar Enhancement project includes an experiential learning component that emphasizes either re-search and/or Extension and immerses the Young Scholar in STEM and social sciences activities. It is intended to heighten the Young Scholars’ interest in these fields of study related to sustainable agriculture. YSE project proposals can vary widely in discipline exposure, laboratory or field experiences, student acceptance standards, expected student out-comes and internship duration. Students prepare a poster presentation detailing their research experiences.

To date, 18 high school or undergraduate college students have participated in the James Harrison Hill, Sr. Young Scholar Enhancement Grant program. The award has totaled $72,742.

Several students have gone on to continue their research careers, winning awards and poster competitions for their efforts at conferences across the country.



SSARE and the 1890sSince its inception, the SSARE program has shared a close part-nership with 1890 Land Grant institutions to assist minority and limited-resource farmers in sutainable ag practices through regional research grants, educa-tional resources, and networking via conferences, field days and workshops.

Southern SARE has awarded 68 grants to 1890 land grant institu-tions, totaling over $5.2 million.

Tuskegee University and Alabama A&M University have received the most grants from Southern SARE, followed by Kentucky State University, North Carolina A&T University, and Fort Valley State University.

Institutions that have received the most funding include Kentucky State University, Tuskegee and Alabama A&M, and Fort Valley State University.

In addition to PI-driven projects, 1890 land grant institutions across the Southern region have part-nered with 1862 land grant univer-sities, NGOs, non-NGOs, farmers and other institutions on over 80 SSARE-funded sustainable ag projects.

A variety of sustainable ag topics funded include: small ruminants, renewable energy, organic vegeta-ble production, community de-velopment, Integrated Pest Man-agement, aquaculture, Extension training, and pastured poultry.

Fun Facts

• Alabama is home to two 1890 land grant institutions: Alabama A&M and Tuske-gee universities.

• Fort Valley State University has been receiving SARE funding, mainly in small ruminant production and marketing, since 2000.

• Kentucky State University’s Third Thursday Thing program was launched from a SSARE grant over 15 years ago, and is still going strong today.

• North Carolina A&T University was the first 1890 land grant to receive a SSARE grant when the program was launched in 1988.

• Tennessee State University received its first SSARE grant in 2013 on small rumi-nant breeding.

• A Virginia State University graduate student who conducted SSARE research on niche crops received a first place award for her work at the 1890 Association of Research Directors 17th Biennial Research Symposium in 2013.

• Southern SARE provides support for conferences, workshops, fields days and other events. In 2015, $102,500 was provided for 1890 land grant events and programs.


Table 1. SSARE Grant Amounts Awarded to 1890 Institutions Per State, 1988-2016

State R&E PDP OFRG Graduate SCIG TotalAL $624,458.00 $339,397.00 $43,993.00 $19,901.00 $44,956.00 $1,072,705.00AR $0.00 $0.00 $14,930.00 $0.00 $0.00 $14,930.00FL $15,000.00 $80,000.00 $0.00 $9,996.00 $0.00 $104,996.00GA $918,781.00 $72,955.00 $0.00 $10,000.00 $0.00 $1,001,736.00KY $863,389.00 $214,128.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $1,077,517.00LA $189,800.00 $25,701.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $215,501.00MS $133,187.00 $99,912.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $233,099.00NC $628,130.00 $355,852.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $983,982.00OK $172,210.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $172,210.00SC $0.00 $70,000.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $70,000.00TN $230,000.00 $77,757.00 $14,997.00 $11,000.00 $0.00 $333,754.00TX $90,000.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $90,000.00VA $0.00 $0.00 $14,995.00 $10,731.00 $0.00 $25,726.00Total $3,864,955.00 $1,335,702.00 $88,915.00 $61,628.00 $44,956.00 $5,396,156.00

Table 2. Number of Grants Allocated Per State in the Southern SARE Region, 1988-2016

State R&E PDP OFRG Graduate SCIG TotalAL 6 4 3 2 5 20AR 0 0 1 0 0 1FL 1 1 0 1 0 3GA 6 1 0 1 0 8KY 8 5 0 0 0 13LA 2 1 0 0 0 3MS 1 1 0 0 0 2NC 5 4 0 0 0 9OK 1 0 0 0 0 1SC 0 2 0 0 0 2TN 1 1 1 1 0 4TX 1 0 0 0 0 1VA 0 0 1 1 0 2Total 32 20 6 6 5 69

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The Role of the NGO Nurturing Local Food Systems

“From the very beginning of the local food movement SSARE has been there. SSARE’s emphasis on systems research allowed ASAP to take a deep look at the food system and the potential for developing a strong local food movement.

SSARE’s investment in ASAP allowed us to create Growing Local, a multifaceted and sys-temic look at the food system in our region. The areas we investigated continue to inform our program work and we have taken much of what we learned and have nurtured other proj-ects across the country in their food system development.

We are currently refocusing our approach to local food program efforts based on the SSARE supported research we are conducting with farmers. SSARE support has transformed my organization to one that is deeply analytic, reflective, and effective.” -- Charlie Jackson, Appalachain Sustainable Agriculture Project

A Close Partnership

“We have partnered with South-ern SARE since its inception. We have, from the beginning, provided grass-roots input for SSARE’s programs, have helped identify farmer and NGO repre-sentatives for SSARE’s leadership committees, have encouraged our constituents to advocate for increased federal funding of this valuable program, have shared with family farmers SSARE’s meaningful research and excel-lent educational resources, and have led educational programs in partnership with SSARE.

Quite simply, all citizens benefit from Southern SARE supporting Extension and other service-pro-viders as they develop the skills and resources for serving fam-ily farmers, so that we can have thriving sustainable and organic farms in communities through-out the South.” -- Jean Mills, Southern Sustainable Agri-culture Working Group

Since SARE’s beginnings, NGOs (non-governmental organizations) have always played a part in furthering sustainable agriculture production and marketing practices. In the Southern region, many of the grants offered invite NGOs to be a part of the process, either as a principal investiga-tor, participant or cooperator. This involvement is most evident in the Research & Education, Professional Development Program and On-Farm Research grants.

The following information looks back at Southern SARE’s funding to the NGO community.

Research and Education

In Southern SARE’s flagship grant program, of 273 grants funded since 1988, 27 NGOs have been awarded grants. Ten percent of the grants funded have been awarded to NGOs.

Professional Development Program

Of Southern SARE’s 125 Professional Development Program grants funded since 1994, nearly 20 percent (23) were awarded to NGOs.

On-Farm Research

Of Southern SARE’s 92 On-Farm Research grants funded since 2002, two percent (6) were awarded to NGOs. NGOs also participated as coop-erators/participants in the grant research process (3). Southern SARE’s On-Farm Research Grants specifically target the farmer as the end user, and as such, the vast majority of cooperators/participants were farmers and farmer groups.

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Networking & ResourcesIn addition to grants programs, SARE furthers sustainable ag production and marketing practices across the Southern region through a variety of networking efforts and educational resources.

Project field days, trainings, workshops, conferences and other events bring together farmers, non-profits, university researchers, Extension specialists and others in the ag community to share sustainable ag re-search results, resources and other information.

SARE provides sponsorship opportunities for the organization of sustain-able ag events, and to assist farmers in their travel expenses to events across the region. The program also furthers sustainable ag knowledge in ag professionals through the SARE/NACAA Fellows Program. The pro-gram is an opportunity for county Extension agents to see how sustain-able agriculture is practiced in other parts of the country.

Practical, unbiased information about sustainable farming pratices are distributed as SARE resources, many of which are free to download on-line from the SARE website.

Books, bulletins, fact sheets, project products, and videos are just a sam-pling of the variety of resources available to those interested in sustain-able agriculture. Visitors to the SARE website also have access to over 5,000 grant projects in the Projects Database.

Access SARE’s

Resources

Visit the Learning Center:

http://www.southernsare.

org/Educational-Resources

Search the Database: http://

www.southernsare.org/

Projects-Database


Published by the Southern Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Southern SARE operates under cooperative agreements with the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University, and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture to offer competitive grants to advance sustainable agriculture in America’s Southern region. This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through Southern Sustainable Agri-culture Research and Education. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

1109 EXPERIMENT ST. | UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA | GRIFFIN, GA 30223WWW.SOUTHERNSARE.ORG | [email protected] | 770-412-4787

FUNDED BY USDA’S NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE (NIFA)

Published 2016

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Advancing Sustainable Ag Innovations - · PDF fileAdvancing Sustainable Ag Innovations RESEARCH ... Agriculture), the name was changed ... where appropriate, natural biological cycles