Farming in Cyberspace

How do you get information about sustainable farming practices out to rural communities? The UC Davis-based UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program reaches out on the Internet to farmers, farmworkers and consumers. Available electronically are data on biological farming techniques, production and community food system projects, as well as the program's newsletters, summaries of more than 100 SAREP-funded grants, an extensive cover-crops database and other computer applications. Now in its 10th year, SAREP presents summaries of recent grant projects and an introduction to its World Wide Web server in the program's new progress report for 1993-95, which is itself available on the Internet at http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu. "It's a challenge to get this useful information to the people who need it," says Jill Shore Auburn, SAREP associate director. "On our World Wide Web home page you can search on a word such as 'grapes' or 'rangeland' and find everything on that topic in newsletter articles, projects we've funded, and so forth." Auburn notes that SAREP information is available in written and video formats as well, and local workshops have always been an important way the statewide program communicates and collaborates with farmers and consumers.

Media Resources

Pat Bailey, Research news (emphasis: agricultural and nutritional sciences, and veterinary medicine), 530-219-9640, pjbailey@ucdavis.edu