National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)

Program Description

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program provides grants to advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities. Specifically, the program awards grants to farms, universities, nonprofit organizations, and research/education institutions or agencies to improve the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of farming and ranching. SARE also conducts educational and extension programs in an effort to increase knowledge about—and help farmers and ranchers adopt—practices that are economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible.

Program Administration

SARE is a program of USDA-CSREES (Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service) that is administered through four regional programs: Northeast SARE, Southern SARE, Western SARE and North Central SARE

Program Status

This is not a new program. It was created in the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (1990 Farm Bill) (Title 16, Subtitle B)

Using the Program

SARE's four regional offices administer three grant programs: (1) SARE Research and Education grants, (2) SARE Producer Grants, and (3) SARE Professional Development grants. All grant programs have only one application period per year. However, each grant has its own application, deadline, and focus. Each region solicits proposals and awards grants.

SARE Research and Education Grants: Since 1988, competitive grants for sustainable agriculture research and education have been awarded by four regional administrative councils. Generally ranging from $30,000 to $200,000, they fund projects that usually involve scientists, producers and others in an interdisciplinary approach. Many funded projects involve on-farm research trials with crops and/or livestock; other projects have studied quality of life, agricultural marketing, integrated farming systems, and soil and water conservation. Successful proposals typically include economic analysis and outreach components. The program also funds education and demonstration projects, including the development of farmer-to-farmer networks. Producers can team up with one or more technical experts (such as a university researcher) to apply for this grant. Typically $1.2 to $1.4 million is available for each region.

SARE Producer Grants: Producers wanting to test an idea should consider this grant program for a research or education project. Many producer projects involve on-farm trials with crops or livestock, but some have focused on marketing or educational activities. Producers are expected to partner with an extension professional or other agricultural adviser and include a strategy for sharing their results with others. Usually, $150,000 to $200,000 is available for each region.

SARE Professional Development Grants (PDP): To spread the knowledge about sustainable concepts and practices gained from SARE projects, Congress began appropriating funds for professional development for Cooperative Extension Service (CES) staff and other agriculture professionals in 1994. To date, funds have been used for competitive grants and state-specific funding. SARE professional development grants are used for a variety of approaches, ranging from conducting workshops to creating educational videos to hosting on-farm training sessions for extension workers. Successful proposals have ranged from $10,000 to $100,000 and from single state to multi-state projects. Proposals that involve both extension personnel and producers are preferred, and partnerships of nonprofit organizations with extension and/or Natural Resource Conservation Service staff are welcome. Professional development activities are intended to be "train-the-trainer" programs, with a primary emphasis on CES staff, but they also provide opportunities for NRCS and other field agency staff. Typically, $300,000 to $400,000 is available for each region for grants.

Who to Contact

Jill S. Auburn, SARE Director
USDA-CSREES
Stop 2223
1400 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-2223
(202) 720-5384; (202) 720-6071 (fax)
jauburn@reeusda.gov

SARE Regional Contacts
North Central Bill Wilcke, Regional Coordinator University of Nebraska-Lincoln 13-A Activities Bldg. Lincoln, NE 68583-0840 (402) 472-7081; (402) 472-0280 (fax) wilck001@umn.edu	Northeast Fred Magdoff, Coordinator University of Vermont Hills Building Burlington, VT 05405-0082 (802) 656-0472/(802) 656-0554 (802) 656-4656 (fax) fmagdoff@zoo.uvm.edu
Southern Jeff Jordan, Regional Coordinator University of Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station Griffin, GA 30223-1797 (770) 412-4787; (770) 412-4789 (fax)	Western Phil Rasmussen, Coordinator Utah State University 4865 Old Main Hill Logan, UT 84322-4865 (435) 797-2257; (435) 797-3376 (fax) soilcomp@cc.usu.edu

Resources on the Internet

http://www.sare.org
http://www.attra.ncat.org/guide/n_z/sare.html

Adapted from "Building Better Rural Places"