In 2023, the SARE National Reporting, Coordination, and Communications Office (NRCCO) contracted with Insight for Action to conduct a post-project evaluation of four of SARE's regional grant programs. The purpose of the evaluation was to characterize key impacts made by SARE’s grantmaking from 2016 through 2023. The evaluation employed the Success Case Method (SCM) to identify program impacts grounded in a theory- and practice-informed impact model.
For the post-project evaluation, the SCM entailed: 1) Developing an initial impact model based on a scan of web-based resources and SARE background materials, 17 Subject Matter Expert (SME) interviews, and review of a balanced sample of 120 grantee final reports, 2) a self-report survey to identify potential success cases, and 3) in-depth interviews to explore how SARE-funded activities contributed to longer-term achievements and impacts.
Due to the unique nature of the SARE Professional Development Program (PDP), it was not included in the SCM evaluation, but two success case studies were developed separately for this program and are included here.
The final case study corpus included 23 success cases that are available below.
Case Studies of SARE Grant Impacts
The case studies are organized here by grant program. For each grant, the state and region are listed beside the project title. Following the list is a map that shows where each project took place.
Research and Education Grants
- Cover Crop Management Options to Improve Weed Control, Crop Yield and Soil Health (Kansas, North Central)
- Staying Ahead in the Packshed: Improving Postharvest Equipment and Building Guidance for Fruit and Vegetable Farms (Vermont, Northeast)
- Biofertilization of Bermudagrass: A Step Toward Sustainable Forage Production (Alabama, South)
- Improving Silvopasture Systems in the South: Identifying Suitable Forage Crops and Enhancing Environmental Quality in Upland Forests (South Carolina, South)
- Establishing a Protocol for Receiving Cattle that are At-risk of Having a Mineral Deficiency (Utah, West)
Farmer/Rancher Grants
- Ancestral Mexica Farming: A Comparative Yield Analysis from the 1500s (Kansas, North Central)
- Formalizing Partnerships to Scale-up Value-added Local Food in Rural Ohio (Ohio, North Central)
- Expanding Sustainable Shellfish Aquaculture: Optimizing Growth and Survival in a Bay Scallop Nursery System (Massachusetts, Northeast)
- Single-producer-scale Preparation of Warm-season Grass for Poultry Bedding (Pennsylvania, Northeast)
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of Locally Available Woodchips for Weed Control (Virginia, South)
- Different Poultry Housing Options for Chickens to Determine Fastest Growing Rate (Hawai'i, West)
- Does More Diverse Plant Architecture in Pollinator Habitats Influence Native Pollinator and Beneficial Insect Abundance and Diversity? (Washington, West)
- Sheet Mulch Using Cardboard and Nitrogen Fixing Trees (Guam, West)
Partnership Grants
- Building Sustainable Relationships Around the Use of Grazing Cover Crops on Dairy and Livestock Farms in Southern Wisconsin (Wisconsin, North Central)
- Advancing Walnut Syrup Production for Increased Profitability and Farm Income Diversification (West Virginia, Northeast)
- Biofumigants for Sustainable Soil-borne Disease Management in Nursery Production (Tennessee, South)
- Promoting Crop Diversification and Soil Health for Cut Flower Production (Utah, West)
Graduate Student Grants
- Do Cover Crops Stabilize Wine Grape Productivity in a Variable Climate? (Pennsylvania, Northeast)
- Impacts of Silage Tarps on Soil Arthropods, Soil Properties and Crop Yields (Vermont, Northeast)
- Developing Efficient Probiotics for Microbiota of Diarrhea-Resistant Livestock (Florida, South)
- Development of New Selection Tools and Crop Varieties for Sustainable Agriculture (California, West)
Professional Development Program Grants
- Sustainable Farm Law 101 for Agriculture Professionals and Educators (Minnesota, North Central)
- Redefining Learner-centered Education to Build High Impact IPM Partnerships (Oregon, West)
Grant Projects by Location
Click an icon to access the project reports associated with each grant that was included in this impact assessment. PDP grants are not included on the map.
Note: The case study for the North Central SARE Graduate Student project Development of Breeding Lines and Molecular Tools for Selection of Grapevines with Altered Canopy Dynamics via Dissected Foliar Morphology is not available at this time.