SARE Outreach Component

The outreach component of the SARE project has been very active and has several plans for continuing outreach efforts. First, we have been developing a unit of lesson plans using the sustainable project to teach the concept of sustainability to secondary students involved in agricultural science classes. These lesson plans focus on all aspects of sustainability. Rural viability and community are large components of the lesson plans, as rural viability is directly tied to the strength of the producers involved in the community. Teaching community values will encourage students to become more understanding of sustainability. The lesson plans also teach students about farming and livelihood systems. It is important for students to understand that farms are not single entities that operate completely separate from the outside world, but actually are very complex systems that interact in several different ways with several forces from the outside world. Students will understand that the needs of the family are the actual driving force of the farming system. In developing the lesson plans, the SARE project serves as an excellent medium for teaching sustainability to future generations. In July, the first of these lesson plans will be shared with teachers in New Mexico and Texas for piloting in the upcoming school year.

Another opportunity for outreach came in the form of an invitation to display the findings of the project in Washington D.C. at the Agricultural Science and Education Exhibition and Reception held for Congressmen and staffers sponsored by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. During this event, several White House staffers and legislators showed a keen interest in the project. Hopefully, legislators will see the importance of this sustainable project to our region and continue their support of further SARE projects.

I am conducting my thesis research on the project with the purpose of identifying why producers choose to adopt or reject parts of the sustainable project. Numerous interviews have been conducted with farmers who are practicing an integration of crops and livestock, and with farmers who primarily focus upon the production of cotton in a monoculture system. To date, numerous points of views have surfaced on the reasons why some producers adopt this technology and why some do not. This information is pivotal in allowing us to target audiences with the greatest potential for adoption. The SARE project offers very promising results, but if producers do not adopt parts of the project, the project’s benefits to the area are severely reduced.