Puerto Rico

Graduate Student Sustainable Agriculture Projects for FY2025 Announced

GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) program has announced the funded projects for the 2025 Graduate Student Grants program. The SSARE Administrative Council recently funded 18 projects totaling $386,238. The Graduate Student Grants program is one of the few sustainable agriculture research funding opportunities open to Master’s and PhD students […]

Southern SARE Awards Young Scholar Enhancement Grants for 2025

GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Grant program (SSARE) is giving young researchers an opportunity to learn more about sustainable agriculture. Through the James Harrison Hill, Sr. Young Scholar Enhancement Grant program, high school and undergraduate students are working alongside researchers on SSARE-funded projects, ranging from disease management to soil health […]

Visit Rico: Equipping Professionals, Sustainably Empowering Puerto Rican Farmers

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico The Visit Rico Professional Development Program SSARE grant project aims to enhance Puerto Rico's food security and economy by supporting small farms, which have declined in recent years. Between 2012 and 2018, the number of farms in Puerto Rico decreased with a significant reduction in farms under 10 acres. Led by Camille Collazo, […]

Can Indigenous Agricultural Methods of Puerto Rico Mitigate Erosion and Feed the Island?

UTUADO, Puerto Rico - Graduate student Joseph Anthony Navarro thinks that sustainable agroecological practices can preserve biodiversity and was awarded a $16,491 SSARE grant to research it. He asks the question, “Can Taino be an alternative to traditional intensive Agriculture?” According to Joseph, a Conuco is an elevated bed of soil, organic matter, and plant/tree residues (mulch) for easy harvesting/weed management. “My […]

2024 Young Scholar Research Projects

GRIFFIN, Georgia – Ten Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program 2024 James Harrison Hill, Sr. Young Scholar Enhancement (YES) Grants have been awarded a combined $49,195 throughout the region to engage youth in research processes and encourage their pursuit of college degrees that emphasize sustainable agriculture. As an extension of SSARE’s Research & Education Grants program, the YES grants allow […]

Cover Crops Improve Soil Quality in Plaintain Production Systems

GURABO, Puerto Rico -- In humid, tropical environments where soil organic matter decomposes at a rapid rate, efforts are being made to maintain and improve soil health using cover crops, specifically in high intensive cropping systems like plantain production. In a Producer Grant project, farmer Duamed Colon-Carrion studied the potential benefits of cover crops on […]

Finding Common Ground with Farmers and Policymakers on Urban Agriculture Development in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The damage to small farms in Puerto Rico from Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017 brought to light the disconnect between communities interested in urban agriculture initiatives and local governments that don’t recognize their social and economic benefits. To provide solutions, researchers at Ana G. Méndez (formerly Metropolitan University) in […]

Weed Control in the Organic Coffee Field

A video created by University of Puerto Rico outlining sustainable methods for controlling weeds in organic coffee fields. NOTE: This video is in Spanish, with English subtitles.