NCR-SARE: Professional Development Program Grant

The NCR-SARE Professional Development Program Grant supports agricultural educators through competitive grants aimed at enhancing training in sustainable agriculture. This initiative promotes cross-agency collaboration, utilizing farmers as educators to address pressing issues within the farming community. Projects funded are expected to demonstrate measurable outcomes, fostering knowledge and behavioral changes that lead to sustainable practices in agriculture and food systems. The program encourages diverse participation, ensuring a comprehensive approach to professional development.

About the Professional Development Grant Program
The North Central Region SARE (NCR-SARE) Professional Development Grant Program supports state professional development programs and competitive grants for training agricultural professionals.
Professional Development Program (PDP) competitive grants emphasize training agricultural educators in extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, private, and not-for-profit sectors, using farmers as educators and addressing emerging issues in the farm community. Applicants are educators who often represent but are not limited to, Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and non-profit groups. PDP competitive grants are awarded for state and multi-state PDP projects that emphasize cross-agency training, using farmers as educators and addressing emerging issues in the farm community.
Project Requirements
The North Central PDP utilizes an outcome-based approach for funding its educational programs. Each project funded by SARE PDP is asked to identify short, intermediate, and long-term expected outcomes directly associated with their professional development project. In the short-term, PDP projects should result in an increase in the awareness, knowledge and motivation of educators in the area of sustainable agriculture. In the intermediate term, these changes in knowledge and skills should result in changes in the behavior of educators, which includes educators developing and implementing formal and informal educational programs to assist farmers, ranchers, and others in shifting to sustainable agriculture systems. In the long-term, these changes should result in programs and activities that enhance the sustainability of agriculture and food systems (including rural community sustainability).
The NCR-SARE Program is committed to funding PDP projects that utilize participatory and experiential approaches to professional development. As stated above, projects are meant to provide professional development to agricultural educators, but preferably involve diverse groups and organizations (including non-profits, agribusiness, and 1890 and 1994 Land Grant institutions) in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the project. NCR-SARE particularly encourages the use, where appropriate, of farmers and ranchers in developing and delivering training.