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Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN)
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE NETWORK (SAN)
Information on sustainable agricultural issues and practices is
available from a wide variety of sources, including research and
educational institutions, private nonprofits, farmer organizations,
publishers, consultants, lenders, and suppliers. Finding the
available information, as well as identifying the gaps in the
knowledge base, is an increasing challenge.
The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) was formed to help meet
this challenge. SAN is a cooperative effort of universities,
government, business and non-profit organizations dedicated to
information exchange. It was developed by a committee from diverse
organizations, with support from the USDA's national Sustainable
Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program (see list at
end).
The committee's vision is that of a decentralized system that
encourages and supports interaction among a diversity of
information providers and users, rather than a centralized system
with a one-way flow of information. To support this vision, the
committee eagerly solicits comments, criticisms, and active
participation from colleagues as the system takes shape. Current
activities include:
SHOWCASE OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
SAN sponsors The Showcase of Sustainable Agriculture Information
and Education Materials. Begun by John Ikerd, at the University of
Missouri, it is a compilation of publications, videos, and other
materials, as a way to identify both the exemplary and the missing
in sustainable agriculture knowledge. Materials that synthesize
information in forms readily usable to farmers are a particular
focus of the Showcase. The results are available as a printed
document (see PUBLISHING) and as a computerized database (see
INFORMATION ON DISKETTE). Those interested in contributing
materials to the Showcase should contact Andy Clark (see address
under "For More Information.")
DIRECTORY
A directory listing detailed characteristics of individuals and
organizations who are willing to share their expertise in
sustainable agriculture was compiled by the staff of ATTRA under
the direction of Jim Lukens, ATTRA program manager. A compilation
of over 700 entries, it represents the broad range of types of
people and organizations knowledgeable about sustainable
agriculture. The first edition was released in May, 1993, in
electronic (see INFORMATION ON DISKETTE) and printed (see
PUBLISHING) forms. To be listed in future updates of the Directory,
contact ATTRA at 1-800-346-9140.
PUBLISHING
Preparing information in a form that is useful to farmers is a high
priority of SAN. The first handbook, Managing Cover Crops
Profitably, is available for $9.95 from Sustainable Agriculture
Publications, Hills Building, Room 12, University of Vermont,
Burlington, VT 05405-0082. Other SAN publications include The
Sustainable Agriculture Directory of Expertise ($14.95) and The
Showcase of Sustainable Agriculture Information and Education
Materials ($4.95) A guide to tillage tools is due in 1996.
THESAURUS
A common language is important for finding information from a
variety of sources. Begun by Steve Mitchell of the Bio-Agricultural
Library at the University of California, Riverside, to be continued
by Andy Clark, the project will help organize the sustainable
agricultural knowledge available and refine a word list that will
be useful to people looking for information, authors assigning key
words to their documents, as well as to those creating indexes.
ELECTRONIC INFORMATION EXCHANGE
Electronic exchange of information is an increasingly important
activity for SAN. Kevin Gamble, extension computing specialist at
North Carolina State University, is leading the effort to develop
guidelines for the preparation of documents to be shared over
computer networks.
An electronic conference, sanet-mg, has been formed on the Internet
for the sharing of ideas and information regarding sustainable
agriculture. To subscribe, send the statement, subscribe sanet-mg,
in the body of an Internet message to: almanac@ces.ncsu.edu. The
Almanac software, previously developed at Oregon State University,
automatically distributes any message sent to sanet-mg list. There
are also databases and a calendar of events accessible through the
Internet. Consult the separate brief "Getting Started
Electronically with SAN," available by email or telephone request
to Andy Clark (see address under "For More Information.")
INFORMATION ON DISKETTE
A microcomputer database of summaries of projects funded by
SARE/ACE demonstrates the power of state-of-the-art, off-the-shelf
text "infobase" management, using FolioViews™ software. The
publications mentioned already are also available. The program runs
on MS-DOS-compatible machines only, for the time being. For a free
copy, send a blank, formatted, high-density diskette to Phil
Rasmussen, Head, Ag. Systems Technology, Utah State University,
UMC-2300, Logan, UT 84322-2300.
(Internet: soilcomp@cc.usu.edu). They are also available for
downloading to your computer through their gopher site,
extsparc.agsci.usu.edu, PORT=70.
EXPERIENTIAL INFORMATION
The committee has recommended that more and better information from
`experience', such as case studies and other forms of careful
observation, be made available through the network, adding to
information that is formally tested. We are exploring appropriate
ways to describe and share this information so that its validity
and range of applicability will be more easily evaluated by
potential users.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
You can "join" SAN simply by participating in one or more of its
activities: contribute information to the Showcase, join the
electronic discussion group, volunteer yourself or another expert
for listing in the Directory, use the Cover Crops Handbook or the
Folio Infobase and let us know what you think of them!
FOR MORE INFORMATION
As a decentralized network, the points of contact are many; feel
free to contact the individuals mentioned above for specific
aspects of SAN. To provide overall coordination and a central point
of contact, SAN has established an office hosted by the Alternative
Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) of the National
Agricultural Library:
Andy Clark, SAN Coordinator
c/o AFSIC, Room 304
National Agricultural Library
Agriculture Research Service
10301 Baltimore Boulevard
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351
Internet: san@nalusda.gov
Telephone: 301/504-6425 FAX: 301/504-6409
SUPPORT
SAN is supported by the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and
Education program. The project team includes:
Andy Clark, SAN Coordinator (san@nalusda.gov)
Jill Auburn, University of California (jsauburn@ucdavis.edu)
Jane Gates, AFSIC, National Agricultural Library
(jgates@nalusda.gov)
Kevin Gamble, North Carolina State University
(kgamble@twosocks.ces.ncsu.edu)
Beth Holtzman, Northeast SARE Program,
University of Vermont (bholtzma@moose.uvm.edu)
Kristen Kelleher, Western SARE Program, University of Calif.
(kkelleher@ucdavis.edu)
Charles Panton, North Carolina A & T
(forbesb@athena.ncat.edu)
Ed Rajotte, Pennsylvania State University
(egrajotte@a1.psupen.psu.edu)
Gwen Roland, Southern SARE Program, University of Georgia
(sareace@gaes.griffin.peachnet.edu
Tory Shade, University Extension, Wayne County, Missouri
(wayneco@ext.missouri.edu)