Phase III

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In 2004, Virginia Tech was named SANREM’s new Management Entity (ME), marking the beginning of SANREM Phase III. The transition to Phase III opened a more competitive phase in project selection and the building for the SANREM Knowledgebase (SKB) providing access to SA and NRM research. Under Program Director Theo Dillaha, the ME continued to apply the recommendations set forth by the National Research Council (NRC), striving to promote stakeholder empowerment and improved livelihoods through knowledge-based sustainable agriculture and natural resource management systems.

Our research is organized by an innovative approach that is referred to as a “nested landscape systems approach.” We begin with systems that are being used in the field, and from there we build through farm, enterprise, and watershed systems. Finally, our approach considers the broader ecological, governance, and policy systems that these other systems are nested in.

Long-term Research Awards (LTRAs)

SANREM CRSP Phase III received 28 proposals for Long-Term Research Award activities (LTRAs). The program funded 18 planning awards to those considering submitting proposals. The LTRA applications were reviewed by a panel of SA and NRM professionals from institutions across the United States. The proposals underwent a two-stage review process and were rated on the basis of scientific merit, research impact, capacity building, participatory partnerships, and inclusion of gender and minority issues. Five LTRA activities were funded for Jan. 1, 2006, to Sept. 30, 2009.

Cross-cutting Research Activities (CCRAs)

When the SANREM CRSP’s External Evaluation Panel (EEP) selected five Long-term Research Award (LTRA) proposals for funding in November 2005, the committee noted common themes in many of the projects and recommended developing these as cross cutting research activities that would tie together synergies across SANREM’s lobal work. In September 2007, when SANREM learned that it would be fully funded in the 2008 fiscal year with additional funds to make up for earlier budget cuts, the Technical Committee voted to use the extra money for cross-cutting activities. These cross-cutting themes were:

Associate Awards

The SANREM CRSP Leader-With-Associates (LWA) cooperative agreement is designed to allow maximum flexibility to USAID Missions and Regional Bureaus to quickly initiate, design, and manage country and region-specific activities without lengthy competitive awards processes. Visit this page to see summaries of SANREM Associate Awards and other activities.

Conferences

Conferences, seminars, and symposia sponsored wholly or in part by SANREM during Phase III. Visit Conferences and Symposia for Phase III for a list of conferences and links to details about each.

Bridging Activities (BAs)

The SANREM CRSP Competitive Grants Bridging Program for fiscal years 2005 and 2006 was designed to support high-impact, short-term research activities that capitalized on earlier SANREM program efforts and contributed to current SANREM inquiry areas. These activities aimed to add value to previous SANREM accomplishments through expanded technology transfer interventions, policy or impact studies, additional publications, and/or contributions to the establishment of the Phase III SANREM Knowledge Base. Please see Phase III Bridging Activities for descriptions of activities, as well as a final activity report for each project.

Planning Activities

Eighteen Planning Awards from 11 lead U.S. universities were selected for funding by the SANREM Planning Award External Review Panel. The Planning Awards involved activities in 27 developing countries and culminated in the development of Long-Term Research Award (LTRA) applications. Read more about the Planning Awards period from the start of Phase III.

Application Information

For archival purposes only, you will find some information that pertains to the process that our partners and applicants went through to have a project with Phase III of SANREM on our Phase III Application Information page.