Southern SARE's mission emphasizes the importance of sustainable agriculture. Through funding and supporting on-farm research, Southern SARE aims to solve agricultural production problems by encouraging practices that are economically viable, environmentally sound, socially responsible, and that improve the quality of life for farmers, communities, and society as a whole.
The On-Farm Research Grants program of Southern SARE is designed to provide ag professionals and farmers/ranchers the opportunity to conduct research in sustainable agriculture directly on farms. This initiative stresses the importance of collaboration between researchers and farmers to explore innovative sustainable production and marketing practices. The grant focuses on several key areas needing investigation to advance sustainable agriculture, including beneficial insect habitat, alternative crops/animals, organic agriculture, sustainable marketing projects, sustainable grazing systems, soil organic matter management, increasing sustainability of existing farming practices, appropriate technology, and agroforestry. These areas are selected as pivotal for researchers aiming to contribute valuable knowledge and solutions to the agricultural sector regarding sustainability.