At any given time, there are many new and ongoing research projects conducted by the Center for Sustainable and Organic Food Systems. We are also proud of the dynamic research and development efforts that went into our past projects. See the below projects for more information.
Funded by HATCH project no. FLA-HOS-006004, Multistate no. S-1085
Multistate HATCH project S-1085 guides the research efforts of the Southern Cover Crops Council based on six priorities identified by stakeholders.
Funded by USDA NIFA PSA-CAP
A nationwide team of dedicated research, extension and NGO personnel from 28 institutions will establish on-station and on-farm research networks, novel teaching curriculum, and extensive social-science based outreach. Our overall goal is to increase crop productivity, conserve natural resources, and reduce our agro-ecological footprint through increased and improved use of cover crops.
This work is supported by Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) project no. LS21-353 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Initially Funded by Southern SARE
The SCCC grew out of a planning project funded by a Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) Planning Grant.
Mission: to facilitate and enhance communication and collaboration among producers, extension, researchers, and other agricultural professionals, and transfer information and technology to promote the successful adoption and integration of cover crops into southern agriculture systems.
This work is supported by Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) project no. LS21-360 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Funded by USDA NIFA OREI
A panel of producers from the Southeast with organic high tunnel production experience identified and prioritized the critical research needs addressed in this project. These research needs were identified through semi-structured interviews and reviewed at a plenary meeting of project partners and stakeholders. The overall goal of this project is to develop a strategic plan for research and outreach that addresses the full range of needs identified by the producer panel.
Funded by Southern SARE
This project sought to select specific cover crop cultivars for a breeding program. The cultivars were selected from cover crop species that performed best in our previous years of cover crop research. Most of these cultivars were developed as cash crops rather than for use as a cover crop. The desired growth and flowering characteristics for use as cover crops differ from those of cash crops. Selecting for those characteristics was the primary objective of the project.
Funded by Southern SARE
This project addresses principal barriers to entry into seed production markets: 1) producing and maintaining high quality seeds in hot, humid environments and 2) decision-making factors that determine whether farmers are likely to adopt novel yet established practices and technologies. Our robust outreach component consisting of farmer managed on-farm trials and field days, educational sessions via the Southern Seed School platform, networking at farmer-based conferences, and accessible on-line learning tools will share results and practices throughout the southeastern region.
Funded by USDA-ARS
Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a chemical-free alternative to methyl bromide and other chemical soil fumigants used to control soil-borne pathogens and is allowed for use in organic production systems. The overall goal of this project is to characterize what happens in the soil during ASD and facilitate its use at a commercial scale.
Funded by USDA NIFA OREI
Farmer-driven organic high tunnel research in the Southeast lags behind research for cooler climates. The objective of the project is to develop high tunnel systems that address nutrient management, crop rotations, pest and disease management, and production economics to promote the growth and expansion of organic vegetable production in the Southeast.
Funded by USAID
The overall goal of this USAID-funded program is to help transform and modernize Haiti’s agriculture sector in a target region that is a main food production area in Haiti. Our project addresses immediate short-term needs through applied research and training activities. These activities build on a previous successful USAID-funded agricultural development project in Haiti (WINNER). The current project seeks to further refine the technologies and practices developed in WINNER and to extend these and other agricultural innovations to a larger number of producers, focusing on key interventions that have shown positive outcomes for agricultural productivity and food security. Over the intermediate term, many of our proposed activities and interventions are designed to create a stronger and more resilient agricultural sector.
Funded by USDA NIFA OREI
The long-term goal of the project is to expand organic strawberry production in the Southeast by developing organic strawberry cropping systems that are more environmentally and economically sustainable and resilient to weed, pest, and disease pressure.
