National Program Leader -

Dr. S. (Suresh) Sureshwaran (202-720-7536 or ssureshwaran@csrees.usda.gov)

Dr. Diana Jerkins (202-401-6996 or djerkins@csrees.usda.gov)

Total Program Funds - approximately $5 million

Proposed Budget Requests -

·         Proposed integrated project budget requests must not exceed $500,000 for project period of 2-4 years (including indirect costs).

·         Proposed budget requests over $400,000 are expected to be multi-investigator and/or multi-institutional.

·         Requests exceeding the budgetary guidelines above will be returned without review.

Letter of Intent - Not required for this program.

Application Deadline - June 5, 2008 (5:00 P.M., ET)

Background

Small and medium-sized farms are challenged by limited economic opportunities and increasing concerns about environmental quality, as indicated by their low value of agricultural products sold, decreasing share of the food dollar, and the perceived trade-off between agricultural sustainability and economic viability. In recent years, these challenges have been magnified by changes in market conditions caused by tremendous demographic shifts, new global markets and vertical integration, and the increasing competition for farm land for non-agricultural uses. Therefore, the purpose of this program is to foster interdisciplinary projects that enhance interactions between the economic and environmental components important to the long-term viability, competitiveness and efficiency of small and medium-sized farms (including social, biological and other components, if necessary). These include small and medium-sized dairy, livestock, forestry, crop and other commodity operations. While small and medium-sized farms with less than $500,000 in annual sales account for less than 25 percent of the value of all agricultural products sold in the U.S., the long-term viability of these farms is critical to the prosperity of rural people and places as these farms account for approximately 92 percent of all farms in the U.S. Therefore, the program will also foster interdisciplinary studies to enhance income accruing to small and medium-sized farms through value-added activities and in turn, their contribution to rural prosperity.

To meet these identified needs of agriculture, the long-term (10 year) goals for this program are: increase the value of agricultural products sold per farm by small and medium-sized farms through the adoption of environmentally sustainable, economically viable best management practices; increase the share of the food dollar accruing to the small and medium-sized farms and to rural communities by creating on-farm value added activities based on enhanced knowledge of the interactions between changing consumer needs, environmental sustainability and economic profitability; and adopt ecological practices that will enhance the economic value of the land, operated by small and medium-sized farms, in agricultural use.

FY 2008 Priorities for Integrated Projects - Applicants must address at least one of the following priorities.

1. Increasing the productivity and profitability of new and existing small and medium sized farms and ranches through education and extension programs based on new knowledge generated by research on factors that advance the economic and environmental integration of on-farm agricultural production and soil and water conservation practices.

2. Identification and dissemination of information to enhance the net economic, environmental and social benefits to small and medium-sized farms of on- and off-farm agricultural business activities, including impacts of innovative marketing and regional food systems, off-farm employment, migrant labor, etc.

3. Through innovative, research-based education and/or extension programs, enhance the understanding of students, current and future policymakers, farmers and others on how land use change, farm transition, and farm entry issues affect the prosperity of small and medium-sized farms, the ecosystem, and rural prosperity.