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Agriculture brings so much value to our communities, including food production, open space, and economic prosperity. This is true no matter where an agricultural operation is located – whether rural or urban. USDA is committed to working with farms of all sizes and in all locations, including those in urban areas.

USDA commitment includes opening new offices and providing staff expertise in urban communities to increase access to services designed to meet the unique operational needs of urban producers. Last month, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a series of investments in urban agriculture and food and market access, including $40 million for initiatives supporting urban and suburban producers. As part of that announcement, they highlight several new services and opportunities their urban agricultural customers can look forward to and access in 2023 and beyond. Read more.

Announcing the national GROW Urban Agriculture Conference

• Are you interested in developing multidisciplinary urban agriculture research or education (REE) projects?
• Are you interested in connecting with others interested in developing integrated REE proposals?
• Do you want broader impacts from your research, Extension, and/or education work around urban agriculture?
• Do you want assistance with creating competitive urban ag and integrated REE funding proposals?

Join others with similar interests at the inaugural virtual GROW Urban Agriculture Conference

The GROW (Generating Research Opportunities Workshop) Urban Agriculture Conference strives to enhance urban agriculture and food systems through developing collaborative proposals that tackle critical issues. Working at the intersection of urban agriculture and food systems, we seek to identify value chain concerns and assess their economic, social, and environmental impacts on communities. Join us as we support the development of interdisciplinary REE proposals, bridging disciplinary and geographic divides.

The GROW Urban Agriculture virtual conference is designed to engage researchers, Extension professionals, educators, industry representatives, and community collaborators in the development of integrated urban agriculture funding proposals. During this conference interdisciplinary teams will collaborate to create creative an effective proposals rather than spend resources competing against one another. This conference will occur in three phases:

Phase I: November 1-3, 2023, will focus on developing teams,

Phase II: November 4, 2023 to January 16, 2024, will be a time for teams to work together on proposals at their own pace, and

Phase III: January 17-19, 2024, will include an opportunity for teams to present their proposals to a mock grant review panel and have time to incorporate and refine their proposals.

Registration is required, but there is no cost to participate. This conference is supported by a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS

The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) currently has open application windows for the following grant programs:

• the Research and Education Grant Program, due on October 5, 2023
• the Partnership Grant Program due on October 19, 2023,
• the Youth Educator Grant Program due on November 9, 2023, and
• the Farmer Rancher Grant Program due on December 7, 2023.

Every grant program is tailored to cater to distinct groups and adheres to varying prerequisites. However, the overarching purpose of these grants remains consistent – to bolster research and/or education initiatives that propel the ecological, financial, and societal sustainability of agriculture within the Midwest region.

Research and Education grants are typically awarded to university researchers or non-governmental organizations for major research or education projects. While they offer up to $250,000 per grant, they are the most difficult SARE grants to get. Partnership grants offer up to $50,000 for research or education collaborations between organizations and three or more farms. And Youth Educator grants offer up to $6,000 for projects to develop sustainable agriculture education for youth from elementary school through high school. NCR-SARE also has two other grant programs for which the application window is in late winter – a Graduate Student Grant and a Professional Development Grant. See https://northcentral.sare.org for more information on all of these grant programs.

Sourced from the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program

The Ohio State University is hiring an Urban Agriculture Specialist. This 12-month faculty member will lead a statewide Urban Agriculture team of faculty, staff, and students. They will lead urban ag system curriculum development and conduct research in collaboration with other CFAES urban-focused faculty members. They will serve as a Principal Investigator, managing grant funding, project leadership, and partner development. As leader of a five-year project funded Cooperative Agreement with USDA FSA, they will supervise a new Community Outreach Coordinator, based in the Cleveland area, and collaborate with diverse local teams and stakeholders in Ohio's metropolitan areas. With 100% Extension appointment, they will explore emerging opportunities linking Extension, teaching, and research to advance Ohio's urban agriculture and food system community. Master's degree required, doctoral degree preferred. Extension-outreach experience, grant-management skills, and leadership expertise are also required. For more information, see the posted job listing.

Inquiries about the position are welcomed and may be addressed to the Urban Agriculture Specialist, Extension Search Committee at custer.2@osu.edu