Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
"Harnessing Microbes for Sustainable Food Production"
Program Objective
The goal of this project is to conduct an education program on the essential roles of microbes in sustainable agriculture. Topics discussed include microbes that are involved in mineralization of nitrogen and phosphorus, root associated beneficial microbes (mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobium), and microbes that are involved in anaerobic digestion and the composting of farm waste, which can be used for soil amendments. This education program will allow farmers to learn methods to sustainably fertilize and improve soils using naturally occurring materials and processes, the concept that over fertilization or irrigation may pollute groundwater or watersheds, and skills about waste conversion into renewable energy and biofertilizer, which make farmer operations more sustainable.