SARE in Arkansas

The Arkansas SARE program is facilitated through a joint collaboration between the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. We work together to deliver a program that enhances the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of the state through research and education. Arkansas SARE partners with researchers, extension faculty, producers, and community organizations to research and implement the best science-based practices available in all aspects of Arkansas' agricultural system. In addition to research, SARE is dedicated to providing education in sustainable agriculture through various trainings offered each year. 

You can find information regarding the Arkansas sustainable ag program, including organic production, research programs, calendar of events, and educational resources on their blog.

In addition, our SARE State Coordinators are vital for expanding sustainable agriculture training for Extension, NRCS, and other agricultural professionals, who will then help producers transition to a more sustainable agriculture.

University of Arkansas: Elena Garcia is a horticulture professor and Extension fruit and nut specialist at the University of Arkansas. She is responsible for designing, implementing and delivering a high quality, interdisciplinary, and comprehensive program that addresses the university's extension and research objectives. Those objectives include: teaching management skills and the use of effective tools for comprehensive decision-making; teaching production practices that promote the sustainable use of natural resources upon which agriculture depends and that address the needs of the fruit industry in the state; and designing and conducting research that addresses the needs of the state’s fruit industry while enhancing and maintaining sustainable agricultural systems.

University of Arkansas/Pine Bluff: Leslie J. Glover is a professor and associate dean for Outreach & Technology Transfer - University Of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He serves as co-coordinator of SARE in Arkansas. He holds a B.S. and M.S. degrees from Alabama A&M University and a PhD from the University of Massachusetts.

Arkansas SARE Program Assistant: Heather Friedrich is the program assistant for the Arkansas SARE-PDP program. She is a program technician in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. In addition to coordinating SARE-PDP activities she also works on projects centered on local food systems, small farm sustainability and organic production systems.