Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program' is a US based competitive grants and education program administered through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and run by four regional councils that set policy and make grants. The four regions, North Central, Northeast, South and West, are each guided by a volunteer Administrative Council that sets regional priorities. These councils include farmers and ranchers, representatives from universities, government, agribusiness and nonprofit organizations. Since 1988, SARE has invested around $200 million in more than 5,000 initiatives. New York has had the most funded SARE projects, followed by Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Every US state has had at least 10 SARE grants since the program's inception.
History
SARE is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It was initially authorized as the Low-Input Sustainable Agriculture Program in the Food Security Act of 1985. In 1990, the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act changed the name of the program and authorized the programs governing structure of regional Administrative Councils and host institutions. Congress determined it should be funded at no less than $60 million a year, as per the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences. However, annual appropriations have yet to reach this level, and are currently less than half. The 2014 Farm Bill did not modify the substance of the SARE program, but determined that the program will now have to be reauthorized in future farm bills, beginning in 2018. The 2014 Agriculture Appropriations Act consolidated funding for the SARE Professional Development Program and the SARE Research and Education grants into a single item. This means that funding decisions regarding how much of the total should go towards each of these program components is now left up to USDA, rather than Congress.
Details
"Since 1988, SARE has funded more than 5,000 projects through its regions, including research and education grants, professional development grants and producer grants. Depending on the region, applicants also can propose projects under special grant programs for graduate students, community development practitioners and ag educators conducting on-farm research." "SARE offers several types of competitive grants to support the innovative applied research and outreach efforts of key stakeholders in U.S. agriculture.
Farmer/Rancher Grants—these grants help farmers and ranchers test innovative ideas in the field, oftentimes in advance of the research community.
Research and Education Grants— for interdisciplinary, in-depth exploration of critical sustainable agriculture issues that both respond to and anticipate the needs of farmers and ranchers.
Professional Development Program Grants—fund training programs on sustainable agriculture for professionals in USDA field office staff and industry field representatives.
Graduate Student Grants—support the research conducted by tomorrow’s science leaders.
SARE shares project results by requiring grantees to conduct outreach and grower engagement; and by maintaining the SARE Learning Center—a library of practical books, bulletins, grantee-produced information products and other educational materials." "SARE's vision is an enduring American agriculture of the highest quality. This 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 communities and society. 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."
