About Us

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sanremA program that uses the power of research and education to boost food security and quality of life for smallholder farmers.

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (Feed the Future SANREM IL) is sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau of Food Security) and participating U.S. universities and host country institutions around the world. The program is currently managed at Virginia Tech under director Adrian Ares.

The SANREM vision is to support people in developing countries who are making important decisions about sustainable agriculture and natural resource management. We do this by providing access to data, knowledge, tools, and methods of analysis; and by enhancing their capacity to make better decisions to improve livelihoods and the sustainability of natural resources.

What we do

Researchers looking at cropsOur research engages stakeholders at all levels to develop sustainable, localized farming practices.

SANREM’s current research theme targets the development of conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS). The research aims to increase smallholders’ agricultural productivity and food security through improved cropping systems that contribute to and take advantage of improved soil quality and fertility. Through implementing CAPS, farming systems will maintain a year-round soil cover, minimize soil disturbance from tillage, and utilize crop rotation systems.

The long-term research award (LTRA) activities are the main mechanism of the SANREM program. Currently, there are seven projects developing CAPS in countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Our activities result in the development, cataloging, and transfer of technologies that:

  • increase income generation
  • empower stakeholders
  • integrate gender concerns
  • improve soil quality and fertility
  • enhance resource management
  • strengthen local institutions
  • improve market access for smallholders and communities
  • promote sustainable and environmentally sound development

The integrated SANREM systems approach demonstrates how linkages among gender, biophysical, technology, governance, economic, social, environmental, and globalization factors achieve sustainable development.

Who we work with

Each of our research projects is conducted by a consortium of universities, IARCs, NGOs, and host country institutions, and each consortium is led by a U.S. university. Our projects use a participatory approach that engages stakeholders in helping to identify the most important questions and form them into research problems to be studied. All activities link sustainable Short-term trainingnatural resource management with the economic concerns of local populations and promotion of good governance.

Additionally, gender-sensitive participant training programs, including degree and non-degree training plans, are an integral part of the SANREM approach.

Key partners include:

  • Appropriate Technology (AT) Uganda
  • Caritas Hinche
  • Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD)
  • Centro Regional Avaroa
  • Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH)
  • Foundation for the Promotion and Research of Andean Products (PROINPA)
  • Global Conservation Agriculture Program
  • Growing Nations
  • Gobierno Provincial de Bolívar (GPB)
  • Haiti Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Institut d’ Economie Rurale du Mali (IER)
  • Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP)
  • International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
  • International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI)
  • International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
  • Landcare Foundation of the Philippines (LCPI)
  • Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research, and Development (LI-BIRD)
  • Makerere University
  • Manor House Agricultural Center (MHAC)
  • Moi University
  • National University of Lesotho (NUL)
  • Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT)
  • Royal University of Agriculture, Cambodia
  • SACRED Africa
  • Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI)
  • Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (SENACYT), Ecuador
  • Secretaría Nacional de Agua (SENAGUA), Ecuador
  • Sindicato Agrario Tiraque
  • Universidad Estatal de Bolívar (UEB)
  • Universidad Mayor de San Simόn (UMSS)
  • University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
  • Wa Polytechnic
  • Zanmi Agrikol

How to reach us

Using a mechanism called “Leader with Associates” (LWA), USAID Missions can access SANREM expertise to achieve their sustainable agriculture and natural resource management goals. USAID Mission requests are channeled through the SANREM management entity (ME), establishing scopes of work and separate awards for additional mission-demanded research and technical assistance.

Searching our knowledge

All SANREM programs and activities contribute to the SANREM Knowledgebase. The knowledgebase is a collection of information resources (books, reports, journal articles, videos, movies, presentations) produced, identified, classified, or summarized by SANREM researchers. This database provides easy access to resources relevant to sustainable agriculture and natural resource management.