The Graduate Student Research & Education Program involves Masters or Ph.D students partnering with producers on innovative research and outreach on key sustainable agriculture topics.
Donor Name: Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/28/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
This grant program invites graduate students enrolled in an accredited university of Western U.S. to lead a project with the support of their academic advisor and at least one producer to address identified needs in sustainable agriculture. Projects must integrate rigorous research and education aiming to advance the three components of sustainable agriculture- environmental, economic, and social. It is expected that outcomes of funded projects will result in quantifiable benefits for producers, increase the preservation of the natural and social resources upon which agriculture relies, and be documented in scholarly journals and disseminated throughout educational outreach activities.
The Western SARE Administrative Council funds grant proposals that include creative and
innovative on-farm/ranch research and educational outreach to advance Western SARE goals.
All Western SARE projects must contain both research and education components. Western
SARE is one of four regional SARE programs funded by the USDA National Institute of Food
and Agriculture (NIFA).
Goals
- Promote stewardship of the nation’s natural resources by providing site-specific profitable sustainable farming and ranching methods that strengthen agricultural competitiveness; satisfy human food and fiber needs; maintain and enhance the quality and productivity of soil; conserve soil, water, natural resources and fish and wildlife habitat; and maintain and improve the quality of surface and ground water.
- Enhance the quality of life of farmers and ranchers and ensure the viability of rural communities, for example, by increasing income and employment, profitable self-employment, and innovative marketing opportunities in agricultural communities.
- Protect the health and safety of those involved in food and farm systems by reducing, where feasible and practical, the use of toxic materials in agricultural production, and by optimizing on-farm resources and integrating, where appropriate, biological cycles and controls.
- Promote crop, livestock, and enterprise variety.
- Examine the regional, economic, social, and environmental implications of adopting sustainable agriculture practices and systems.
Funding Information
Western SARE Graduate Student Grants provide a maximum of $30,000.
Grant Period
3 years
Eligible Projects
- Project Team Member List
- The project team must be a minimum of three (3) people and must include: A Graduate Student (Applicant), a Researcher (Principal Investigator and typically the applicant’s major professor), and at least one (1) Producer (see definition of Producer in page 3). The team may also include the following additional collaborators,
- Extension/Outreach specialist: The outreach specialist may be an Extension agent, educator, or equivalent. This person could be involved in implementing the education plan and outreach activities.
- Agricultural professionals: An agricultural professional is any professional assisting producers at the local level, such as Cooperative Extension agents, university faculty or researchers, USDA-NRCS field staff, agricultural consultants, nonprofit organization staff members, etc.
- Researchers, educators, and other collaborators with appropriate expertise for the project scope.
- Producers: If more than one producer is included, each producer must be an independent and separate operator.
- The project team must be a minimum of three (3) people and must include: A Graduate Student (Applicant), a Researcher (Principal Investigator and typically the applicant’s major professor), and at least one (1) Producer (see definition of Producer in page 3). The team may also include the following additional collaborators,
- Project Team Members’ Roles (5% of the review criteria; word limit: 600)
- For each project objective, indicate who will be responsible and who will be involved in the execution of activities.
- Provide a brief description of each team member’s background and expertise to demonstrate that she/he has the appropriate skills to complete the proposed task.
- Detail the role of the Principal Investigator, the Graduate Student, and the Producer(s), and if applicable, the role of other project team members. Indicate their level of involvement at all stages of the project.
- For each project objective, indicate who will be responsible and who will be involved in the execution of activities.
For more information, visit SARE.
