ANNOUNCEMENT:
CALLS FOR PROPOSALS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
PROJECTS IN THE WESTERN U.S. RELEASED
CONTACT:
Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
Utah State University
tel. (801) 797-3537
fax (801) 797-4002
e-mail: stacyg@cc.usu.edu
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Sustainable Agriculture Research and
Education (SARE) program in the Western region has released Calls for
Proposals for three competitive grants efforts, including:
* Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education,
* Agriculture in Concert with the Environment, or ACE (a joint
venture of USDA and the U.S. EPA), and
* Professional Development/In-Service Education (aimed at helping
Cooperative Extension Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, NRCS,
and agricultural professionals increase their understanding of sustainable
agriculture).
The national SARE effort, which was mandated by Congress in the 1990 Farm
Bill, is implemented regionally by four independent policy-making councils.
The Western region SARE program is coordinated by Utah State University
soil scientist V. Philip Rasmussen and lead by a regional Administrative
Council that represents diverse agricultural and public interests and
includes farmers and ranchers.
Grant cycles for these research, education and professional development
efforts began September 1, 1995, more than a month earlier than last year.
Proposal deadlines are also earlier to correspond with the revised
schedule. Information on each grant program and respective due dates
follow.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education:
The SARE grants program in the Western Region, also known as "Chapter 1,"
is continuing to target funding to whole-farm/ranch systems projects that
increase understanding and adoption of sustainable agriculture. Projects
qualify as whole-system research by addressing weak links or information
gaps in a system, or by assessing the multiple impacts of different
components of agricultural systems. DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 8, 1995.
Agriculture in Concert with the Environment:
The ACE program is requesting proposals for research and education projects
that will lead to reduced environmental stress from agricultural practices.
Priority issues for ACE funding in the Western region include irrigated
agriculture; nutrient management; environmentally-sound multiple land uses;
and animal waste. DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 8, 1995
Professional Development/In-Service Education:
This professional development effort, often called "Chapter 3," is asking
for project proposals that will improve the ability of Cooperative
Extension, NRCS and other agricultural professionals to conduct educational
programs and activities in sustainable agriculture. Project subject matter
can deal with any agricultural endeavor, and may include material on the
effects of sustainable practices on the quality of life for farmers,
ranchers and rural communities. Projects can be designed for agents working
in production agriculture, 4H/youth development or other areas. Efforts
that have a scope beyond a single state are encouraged, and projects that
include audiences not served by previously-funded regional activities are
particularly welcomed. DEADLINE: DECEMBER 6, 1995.
Please call the contact number listed at the top of this announcement to
request any or all of these Calls for Proposals.
The Western Region includes Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Micronesia, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, N.
Mariana Islands, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
NOTE TO WORLD WIDE WEB USERS:
Calls for Proposals are ready for immediate down-loading on the Western
Region SARE World Wide Web server at Utah State University
(http://ext.usu.edu:80/wsare/). They are Adobe Acrobat (pdf) files that can
be read or printed with the Acrobat Reader that can be downloaded off the
Internet (more information about the Acrobat software is on the same Web
page as the Calls for Proposals).
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Prepared by:
Kristen Kelleher
Western Regional Communications Specialist
(916) 752-5987
kkelleher@ucdavis.edu
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Kristen Kelleher
Senior Public Information Rep/ Communications Specialist
USDA Western Region SARE
c/o SAREP
University of California
(916) 752-5987
kkelleher@ucdavis.edu
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