Program History

The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) was created through the grassroots efforts of organizations and individuals concerned about the environmental impacts of agriculture, the health of rural communities, and the profitability of family farming operations in California.

 

At the request of the California legislature, the University of California established SAREP with three mandates:

  • administer competitive grants for research on sustainable agricultural practices and systems,
  • develop and distribute information through publications and on-farm demonstrations,
  • and support long-term research and sustainable farming systems on UC farmlands.
 
Our Administrative Home

UC SAREP was founded as a statewide program of  UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR), which also houses the statewide UC Cooperative Extension system. 

In 2007, UC SAREP, the UC Davis Student Farm and Russell Ranch joined to help establish the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis, where UC SAREP was located until 2020.

In mid-2020, SAREP relocated to its original administrative home at UC ANR.

 

Our Foundational Documents