Rhode Island

The grants summary  includes a project highlight, a breakdown of funding by SARE project type, the total funding for the state since 1988 and state grant recipients.

Northeast SARE’s network of state coordinators--housed at each land grant university throughout the region--conduct professional development programs and share information about our grant programs and other sustainable agriculture resources in their respective states.

State Contacts

Rachel Bespuda

Rachel Bespuda

Project Coordinator
University of Connecticut
Bio
Rachel coordinates the tri-state SARE program for CT-MA-RI, focusing on providing educational training to both agricultural service providers and farmers in the area of sustainable livestock production practices. Before joining the tri-state team in 2017, Rachel worked in the animal nutrition field at a Connecticut feed mill as well as a local feed retailer. Rachel grew up on a small family farm in Northeast Connecticut, raising beef cattle. She graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science and, in 2011, earned a Master of Science degree in Animal Science with a focus in animal nutrition. Rachel and her husband currently raise beef cattle, poultry and swine for local meat sales on his family's farm in southern Connecticut.
Heather Faubert

Heather Faubert

State Coordinator
University of Rhode Island
Bio
Heather Faubert is a research associate with the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension where she has been working with farmers, particularly fruit growers, on pest management since 1981. Heather also runs the University of Rhode Island’s Plant Protection Clinic where she diagnoses plant diseases, pests and other problems that southern New England growers battle each year.

State Spotlight

Rhode Island State SARE Coordinator Projects:

Producing and Marketing Saffron in Rhode Island

Rhode Island farmers are always looking for new crops to diversify their farming operations. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world and could fit into the cropping cycle of many Rhode Island vegetable farms. The acreage needed to grow saffron is small, so it is a crop that could easily be grown on […]


SARE in Rhode Island

Since 1988, SARE has awarded numerous grants in every state and Island Protectorate. Aimed at advancing sustainable innovations, these grants add up to an impressive portfolio of sustainable agriculture efforts across the nation.

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Rhode island impacts

$2.2
million
in funding since 1988
42 projects
funded since 1988