Welcome!
Welcome to the website of Washington State University’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR)! We are a university center that develops innovative solutions to some of the most important problems we face in society today. CSANR was born nearly 17 years ago following a series of “town hall” meetings held by WSU across the state. In communities large and small, the university heard people saying they support coordinated efforts to sustain agriculture and natural resources in Washington. Our citizens look to their land grant institution to help address the loss of agricultural lands, protect air quality and water supplies, promote renewable energy options, and enhance food safety. In 1991, the Washington State Legislature created CSANR to promote healthy farms, food and people. Since its inception, the center has been working with communities to foster approaches that are economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially responsive. The center relies on an outstanding interdisciplinary Leadership Team to guide its activities. I invite you to learn more about our Team at http://www.csanr.wsu.edu/AboutCSANR/leadershipteam/leadershipteam.html Please get in touch to share your concerns and ideas for sustaining agriculture and natural resources in Washington. You can reach us at csanr@wsu.edu or (253) 445-4654. Sincerely, |
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Historical Overview of the CSANR
In 1990, Washington State University’s College of Agriculture, Human, Natural Resources (CAHNRS) held 16 town hall meetings where more than 1,500 Washington citizens recommended how WSU could better serve them. A citizen task force, along with representative faculty members from the college, compiled this information identifying three major areas for immediate increased funding support: sustaining agriculture and natural resources, family well-being, and rural growth and revitalization. CAHNRS proposed a package to Washington’s legislature addressing these issues. As a result, in 1991 the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR) and the Food and Environmental Quality Laboratory (FEQL) were established through RCW 15.92.
CAHNRS proposed a package to Washington’s legislature addressing these issues. As a result, in 1991 the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR) and the Food and Environmental Quality Laboratory (FEQL) were established through RCW 15.92. Due to a lack of legislative support, the CSANR was established with funds reallocated to the CAHNRS from research, extension, and teaching. Housed within the CAHNRS, the center is independent from any department.
CSANR Mission
CSANR leads efforts in sustainable agriculture, food, and natural resource systems that are economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially responsible.
Establishing Priorities
To establish initial CSANR priorities, four statewide town hall meetings were held soliciting public input on critical issues and possible roles for the center. Common issues identified at the meetings included environmental and resource issues food safety agricultural labor economics urban-rural communication and understanding; and the need for reliable and comprehensible information for growers and the public on alternative agricultural practices and crops.
CSANR Role
As suggested by town hall participants, the CSANR’s role focuses on facilitation and networking, funding, and education. The CSANR facilitates new linkages and better communication between diverse interest groups, WSU units, growers, agencies, industry, environmental groups, and the public. It identifies funding sources, research gaps, and needs; coordinates research and education grant proposals; and facilitates and recommends new research and education programs that sustain agriculture and natural resources. The CSANR also provides factual information on relevant issues to a diverse audience through conferences, newsletters, on-farm documentation, tours, and projects.
CSANR Projects
Sustainability is a holistic process, across disciplines, viewpoints and ways of life. As a university center devoted to sustainability, CSANR is uniquely positioned to leverage the resources of the land grant university and communities in our state. Together we are helping to make Washington agriculture more economically viable, more environmentally sound, and more socially responsive. In collaboration with farmers and consumers, we are building an agriculture that sustains not only our farms but also our health, our communities and our environment. Please browse our current activities and let us know if you have any questions.
Biologically Intensive Agriculture & Organic Farming (BIOAg)
CSANR’s flagship initiative, Biologically Intensive Agriculture & Organic Farming (BIOAg), encompasses a range of new research, education and extension projects. These include development of mustard cover crops as alternatives to fumigation, new applications of direct seeding to reduce erosion, and the use of beneficial nematodes for pest control. BIOAg promotes strong linkages between sustainable agriculture, communities and human nutrition, with the goal of promoting access to fresh, healthful Washington-grown food. A federal grant for organic agriculture is helping WSU develop certified organic experimental land, enhance organic seed production, and research the effects of new methods of organic weed control. |
Climate Friendly Farming
CSANR’s Climate Friendly Farming Research & Demonstration Project showcases interdisciplinary cooperation in a comprehensive research project. Climate Friendly Farming aims to help farmers ease global climate change by reducing farm-produced greenhouse gases. Researchers are assessing dairy, irrigated crop, and dryland grain farming systems to determine how each could move from contributing to global warming to becoming part of the solution. The research could soon make it possible to compensate farmers for offsetting the pollution caused by urbanization and industries. |
Community Capacity Building and Conflict Resolution
Many partners with diverse viewpoints must work together if we are to make Washington’s food and farming system sustainable. CSANR Leadership Team members use Community Capacity Building and Conflict Resolution to help individuals and organizations maximize the human capital and natural resources found in their communities. Through these approaches, community-based leaders are emerging to help farm businesses become sustainable and to help rural communities meet the unique challenges they face.
Education on Farming & Food Systems
While the number of students interested in production agriculture has been steadily shrinking, an increasing number of students are interested in sustainability, food systems and organic farming. CSANR faculty affiliates from a range of disciplines are contributing to education on sustainable agriculture at WSU. Courses currently offered include Science, Society & Sustainable Food Systems; Organic Gardening & Farming; Agriculture, Environment & Community; Small Acreage Farming & Ranching Overview; and Agricultural Entrepreneurship. A Graduate Certificate is now offered to post-baccalaureate students with an interdisciplinary understanding of practices and current issues in sustainable agriculture, along with the science that makes it work. An on-farm internship is also offered, as well as a unique one-week immersion course, Field Analysis of Sustainable Food Systems, which includes a tour of farms and facilities that process and market food. All courses are available for either university credit or continuing education.
Policy Research & Education
CSANR’s work on the Conservation Security Program (CSP) demonstrates our commitment to develop direct connections between consumers and farmers. This new federal entitlement program in the 2002 farm bill will potentially transform American agriculture by compensating farmers for the public good that well-managed agriculture has always provided but never gotten paid for. When fully developed, CSP may provide farmers a new income stream for farming practices such as integrated pest management, cover cropping and weed control. CSANR affiliates are working to make Washington farmers among the first beneficiaries of this program in the nation.
Small Farms Program
WSU’s Small Farms Program offers a course and certificate program for family farmers and offers courses targeted to Latino and Southeast Asian new immigrant farmers. The Small Farms staff supports farmers’ market managers in building strong retail outlets for our state’s growers, so they can keep more of the food dollar. The Small Farms Program is currently working on a Community Food Assessment. The overall purpose of a CFA is a participatory, community-based strategic planning process used to engage residents in collecting data to develop a community food and farming profile and develop and implement a vision for change. |
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