Sample PDP Grant Projects

Since 1988, SARE has awarded a total of $27.4 million for 430 Professional Development Program (PDP) grants. 

Hunt for Ambassadors: Demonstrations Showcase Area Foods, Farms

In Kansas, nutrition educators forged partnerships with diverse groups, including Extension and the nonprofit Kansas Rural Center, to run cooking demonstrations that deliver an "eat local" credo to expand the market for Kansas foods. Primary audiences for the information included family and consumer science extension agents, support groups of mothers with limited resources, youth, and seniors living in assisted housing, among others. (For more information, search the projects database for project for ENC00-047.)

Production-Oriented Videos Teach Organic Grain-Growing Tips

In Maryland, ag educators teamed up to create a video package that agricultural professionals can use to teach farmers the basics of organic grain production. The three-part video series provides essential production information paired with a colorful mix of examples from successful organic grain farmers from Maryland to New York. Reviews from grain farmers have been positive. (For more information, search the projects database for project ENE98-038.)

Living on the Land: Improving Education for Small-Acreage Farmers

A University of Nevada water quality education specialist used a SARE professional development grant to develop a wide-reaching curriculum for agricultural educators focusing on growing plants and animals on small properties in environmentally sensitive areas. Dubbed "Living on the Land: Teaching Small Acreage Owners to Conserve Their Natural Resources," it covers the basics of goal-setting, soils, water, vegetation, and animals, and answers such questions as how to maintain healthy pastures and protect household drinking water. (For more information, search the projects database for project for  EW99-003.)