Calls for Proposals for Professional Development Grants Released

GRIFFIN, Ga. -- The Southern region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has released its Calls for Proposals for the 2012 Professional Development Grants program.

The organization is accepting pre-proposals for projects of one to two years duration that provide training on sustainable agriculture for agricultural professionals and educators who serve farmers/ranchers and other interested people in the Southern region.  This region includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

As an addition to the various types of training projects that Southern SARE funds each year, the organization has identified a new priority area for 2012. Applicants are invited to submit pre-proposals for projects that specifically address training trainers to help limited-resource farmers and ranchers understand and access funding sources available to them.

“This is not simply to educate on what programs are available, but to prepare trainers who can then teach how to fill out the necessary documents, determine eligibility and teach what each program provides for in terms of fundable activities,” said David Redhage, Southern SARE Professional Development Grants program manager. “The training should also teach how each program determines who receives funding.”

See the “Priority Area for 2012” information listed in the Calls for Proposal.

Read more about Calls for Proposal guidelines. The deadline for submitting pre-proposals is June 1. If selected, applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal in August. Grants winners are announced in February.

The objective of the SARE program is to enable farmers and ranchers to move profitably toward production systems compatible with the goal of sustainable agriculture, including promoting good land stewardship, protecting the health and safety of people and animals, enhancing quality of life, and strengthening rural communities.

For more information on professional development projects, completed or ongoing, search the national SARE database.

Read more for information on Southern SARE Professional Development Grants.

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Published by the Southern Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Southern SARE operates under cooperative agreements with the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University, and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture to offer competitive grants to advance sustainable agriculture in America's Southern region.