2024-25 Southern SARE NCA&T Model State Program

Commodities

Practices

NC SARE is a collaborative effort between NC State University and NC A&T State University. NC SARE promotes sustainable agriculture in NC and supports agriculture professionals, extension agents, farmers, and other educators for sustainable agriculture training and events. From NCA&T we offer sustainable agriculture training primarily through travel scholarships, mini sustainable grants, Innovation Small Farm Bus Tour, and NCA&T organized field days (e.g., Cover Crop and Soil Health Field Day, Small Farm Field Day, etc.) especially for small-scale, limited resources and underserved farmers. The travel scholarships covering registration, hotel, and other expenses are available to extension agents, mentor farmers, NGOs, and other educators supporting the agriculture community defined by Southern SARE. Applications for educational training and workshops in any area that impacts or advances the knowledge and skills to better service the sustainable agriculture community may be submitted. Possible training opportunities might be, but not limited to, Small Farm Field Day, Small Farm Weeks by Cooperative Extension at NCA&T, SE Fruit & Vegetable Expo, NCA&T and CEFS Cover Crop Demo, Sustainable Agriculture Conference, Bee Conference, ASAP - Business of Farming Conference, Agrotourism Conference, etc. Southern SARE from NCA&T will partially provide funding to arrange and organize an Innovation Small Farm Bus Tour in eastern NC for underserved and small farmers to showcase sustainable agriculture. Guided by the single Advisory Committee for both NCA&T and NCSU, we have training opportunities for agriculture professionals and model farmers. NCA&T and NCSU work closely together to promote and support NC Sustainable Agriculture.

The overall outreach objective for NC SARE at NCA&T is to provide support and opportunities to extension educators, agents, model farmers, and other ag professionals, especially from small farming, minority, underserved, and underrepresented communities. These training opportunities will strengthen existing and provide new/current/updated understanding, knowledge, information, and techniques in sustainable agriculture that fit better in small-scale settings. Educators receive training will be better equipped to help small, limited-resource, and minority farmers in their service regions.

Proposed training activities in 2024-25 fiscal year include:

• Two mini-PDP grants funded demonstration projects to two extension agents based on sustainable agriculture (cover crops, no-tillage, biochar, etc.). Extension agents showcase these demonstration projects as model projects to the nearby counties and farming communities. The fund can be used to conduct field demonstrations, and educational materials and publish factsheets.
• Our funding partially supports an Innovative Small Farm Bus Tour to visit sustainable small farms on the Eastern Shore of North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, utilizing innovative and sustainable practices. We may make this tour as a part of NE North Carolina Ag. Niche Conference The bus tour will be during the first week of September 2024 as a part of the NE North Carolina Ag Niche Conference. Up to 40 small, beginning, or limited resource farmers will travel by tour bus for two days, and one night to visit 8 to 10 small farms to see and learn from these innovative farmers. There will be small and sustainable farmer networking, idea-sharing, and relationship-building opportunities. Funds are being requested to lower the cost of the entire tour for ~10 farmers participants (@$500) while providing equal and accessible educational opportunities for underserved farmers.
• We provide expert speaker fees to farmers to participate and provide hands-on training to promote sustainable agriculture-related practices. Requesting for a total of 4 farmers @$600. The conferences may include but are not limited to North Carolina A&T Small Farm Educational Forum, Carolina Farm Stewards Association (CFSA) Sustainable Agriculture Conference (SAC), Women in Ag. Conference etc.
• We provide travel funding so that extension agents and other sustainable agriculture professionals can attend training relevant to their subject area to better serve their communities. Also, farmers especially from minority, underserved, and small-scale settings receive Travel Scholarships including registration scholarships, hotel scholarships, or other travel-associated scholarships (open throughout the year) to attend sustainable farming-related conferences. This year our board members discussed new areas of conferences and training programs available to broaden outreach and educational support to ag. Communities. We will include but not be limited to the Aquaculture, Bee Conference, Agrotourism Conference, ASAP Business of Farming Conference, SE Fruits, and Vegetable Conference, etc.
• Printing and educational materials (factsheets, fliers, brochures, postcards, etc.) for NCA&T-organized events such as NCA&T Cover Crop and Soil health Field Day, Small Farm Field Day, etc. Funding for a total of 2 such events @$1,200.