The State of Professional Development in 2005
As we move into 2005, our competitive grants remain the "heart and soul" of the Western SARE Professional Development Program effort. We will deliver more than $500,000 in funds to competitive grants, a figure that has been relatively steady in recent years. Over the past two years, we've received more than 20 applications a year and typically fund seven or eight of those.
We have made a couple of important changes this year. The deadline for PDP grant applications has been moved back one month to November 15, giving addition time to applicants who may be involved in the busy harvest season. In addition, based on feedback from our 2004 survey of extension educators, we are targeting specific areas for funding, including:
- ecological weed management strategies,
- economics of alternative farming systems,
- alternative marketing approaches, such as direct marketing and community supported agriculture, or CSAs
- and ecological insect or disease management strategies.
With our state grants to SARE coordinators in the West's states and island protectorates, we work with professionals from Cooperative Extension and Natural Resources Conservation Service and others to ensure that sustainable practices and information are disseminated to folks at the grassroots level. We have coordinators in the Western region's 17 states and protectorates, and numerous excellent programs continue to be conducted at that level.
In addition, the Western SARE Professional Development Program continues to expand and refine its grants program to educators involved in the Extension Indian Reservation Program, or EIRP. We currently work with 22 agents in seven states on Indian Reservations.
Our Western region personnel are collaborating with other SARE regions and the national SARE office to develop a "National Core Training" program. We anticipate that this basic training in the principles and tenets of sustainable agriculture will serve as the foundation for promoting and incorporating sub-regional training in sustainable ag in the future.
PDP also uses what it calls state incremental funds as an incentive to accomplish additional professional development work in the Western states and protectorates. These funds currently target specific outcomes by providing opportunities for training, travel and small research projects and programs in the West.
Jim Freeburn
Regional Training Coordinator
Western SARE
Professional Development Program
