The aims of the federal initiative Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) are multifaceted: 1) Foster responsible management of the nation's natural resources through the dissemination of location-specific, regional, and sustainable agricultural and ranching techniques, 2) Improve the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers, 3) Safeguard the well-being of individuals involved in food and agricultural systems by reducing reliance on harmful substances, 4) Encourage agricultural variety and resilience, and 5) Assess the local economic, social, and environmental impacts of adopting sustainable agricultural practices. To achieve these goals, SARE offers numerous grant opportunities for research projects, catering to farmers, ranchers, non-governmental organizations, and universities. SARE operates across four regions within the United States. New Mexico is in the Western region (WSARE) which is composed of individual state professional development programs in the area’s 13 states and 4 Pacific Island protectorates. In 2023, the NM WSARE Professional Development Program coordinated a Sustainable Agriculture Summit to better prioritize research and training needs in the state. The event was held in Santa Fe, NM, USA on 30 March, with a total of 58 participants in the full-day event. Among them were 32 agriculture professionals and 26 farmers and ranchers. The event consisted of two main sessions, a panel discussion, followed by an open forum. The panel was comprised of past Western SARE grant recipients and individuals who had submitted proposals, they provided overviews of their projects. Following the panel, summit participants engaged in a brainstorming session to identify critical sustainable agriculture project needs for producers in NM, focusing on research and training needs not previously emphasized in past funding. The priority areas identified by the participants were, in order of importance, 1) Irrigation/water use efficiency, 2) Farm economics, direct markets, and direct sales, 3) Non-traditional production, 4) Pest management, 5) Labor aids and technology adaptation, and 6) Generational transfer of farms and ranches. Each of these priorities was clearly outlined, and potential projects were identified accordingly. The outcomes of this summit were communicated to WSARE, the NM Department of Agriculture, and other funding agencies, offering valuable feedback to guide future proposals and funding initiatives in NM.
