Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
Proposal abstract:
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech and the School of Agriculture at Virginia State University are strongly committed to collaborating to strengthen Virginia's SARE Professional Development Program to benefit the quality of life of all Virginians. Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, along with SARE Advisory Committee partner organizations, continue to host and sponsor professional development workshops and programs together to build knowledge and educational capacity for sustainable farming and food businesses across Virginia. Ecological soil management, minimizing soil disturbance, cover cropping, community food systems, regenerative grazing, agroforestry, and overall market diversification continue to be core SARE programming areas, while climate-smart farming, cooperative and alliance-oriented business structures, and farm transition are pressing educational needs. Virginia SARE through professional development programming and resources seeks to expand local and regional food system development opportunities and value chain connections for Virginia farmers, food businesses, and communities. Our statewide SARE programming seeks to equitably serve all of agriculture and the diverse expanse of farmers across Virginia by integrating and emphasizing the community, economic, and ecological components of sustainability and viability in rural and urban settings. The 2024 – 2025 outreach goal is to reach through professional development programming at least 750 educators, farmers, and professionals. Virginia Tech SARE anticipates partnering with Virginia's Association for Biological Farming, Virginia Forage and Grassland Council, Virginia Farm to Table, USDA-NRCS, the Agroforestry Regional Knowledge (ARK) network, and the VSU Small Farm Outreach Programming on Virginia SARE educational programming planned in Virginia.
Project objectives from proposal:
Virginia Tech anticipates the training objectives for 2024 - 2025 will closely align with the previous year's training objectives. However, funding would support travel scholarships ($12,000), honoraria for resource speakers/consultants ($4,800), and educational supplies ($3200).
To increase knowledge of core soil health principles, ecological
soil management, agroforestry, and conservation.
To enhance knowledge of regenerative grazing and integrative
livestock management for natural resources conservation, direct
market channels, and emerging wholesale marketing
opportunities.
To improve understanding of the role of Extension and USDA
professionals in sustainable community, local, and regional food
systems development, and networking.
Virginia will be hosting the 2024 International Soil Tillage Organization Conference. Dr. Mark Reiter of Virginia Tech has requested funds to enable Extension personnel and farmer leaders to attend the conference if possible. Additionally, interest in agroforestry, silvopasture systems, and urban agriculture is growing among Extension personnel and farmers, so Virginia SARE wants to be strategically supportive to leverage professional development opportunities in these interest areas in 2024 - 2025.
Virginia SARE's audience includes Extension Agents (VCE), VSU'sSmall Farm Outreach Program educators, USDA-Farm Service Agency (FSA), USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and Soil and Water ConservationDistrict personnel, non-government organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs), mentor-farmer leaders, and underserved limited resource farmers, landowners, and community leaders, including African‐Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, women, and persons who have limited access to land, labor, and capital regarding sustainable agriculture practices and Southern Region SAREprograms and resources.