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Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability

November 18-19, 2008: "Role of Biotechnology in a Sustainable Food Supply" Conference Presentations Now Available

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Mission

The mission of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability (CARS) is to increase prosperity for rural Arkansas through sustainable practices.  The Center provides leadership in Arkansas and the world in balancing the demands of community, agriculture and ecosystems in order to meet the needs of current generations while enhancing the opportunity for future generations to meet their needs.

Objectives

CARS works to meet four broad objectives:

• Develop credible resources for analysis of potential economic development for agricultural communities in Arkansas.

• Assess the impact of economic, agricultural and environmental policy on rural prosperity.
• Provide linkages between communities, businesses, non-profit organizations, academics and policy leaders to foment/facilitate the implementation of best sustainable practices.
• Create criteria for assessing and implementing best sustainable practices at farm and regional levels.

Organization

CARS is a state-wide center, largely self-funded, with the primary mission of enhancing and sustaining prosperity in rural Arkansas.  The Center is a focal point for securing federal, state, industry and foundation funds for this mission. CARS will provide leadership in connecting these various efforts together for the objectives of the Center.  The Center is administered through the Division of Agriculture, with a Steering Committee composed of senior faculty and department heads, and an Advisory Board.  The Center is managed by Area Directors and supported by staff and technical experts as necessary to complete the Center’s objectives. The Center’s activities and priorities will be reviewed every three years by the Vice President for Agriculture, the Associate Vice President for Agriculture – Research, the Steering Committee and the Advisory Board.

Major Focus Areas

While CARS is involved in many projects, the Center has four major focus areas:

• Life Cycle Inventory and Assessment
• Sustainability Metrics
• Local Foods
• Community