The overall goal of the center for farming systems, rural prosperity and economic sustainability (CFSRPES) is for 1890 land grant universities (LGUS) to develop, leverage and share best practices,…

Federal Grant Award Summary

Tuskegee University received a $1.68 million Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Centers of Excellence at 1890 Institutions Program (CFDA 10.523), awarded September 15, 2025, with a completion date of September 14, 2028. The Center for Farming Systems, Rural Prosperity and Economic Sustainability (CFSRPES) will develop and disseminate best practices, innovations, technologies, and personnel across an eighteen-state region to address profitability, conservation, and prosperity challenges for small farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners. The center builds upon the prior Center for Innovation and Sustainability of Small Farms, Ranches and Forestlands (CISFRL), leveraging an integrated research-education-extension approach with multi-disciplinary university partnerships and private and public sector collaborations to strengthen the targeted agricultural community and engage students in food, agricultural, natural resources, and human sciences.

The center will operate through five thrust areas: farm commodities, processes and systems; ranch commodities, processes and systems; forest commodities, processes and systems; value-added technology; and integrated environment, economic and social impacts. All thrust area teams will incorporate marketing and entrepreneurship components, with cross-thrust and multi-state collaborations encouraged among the 1890 land-grant universities participating in the regional initiative. This delivery model aligns with the Centers of Excellence program's mission to increase rural prosperity, profitability, and diversity within the science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics (STEAM) pipeline across underserved farming communities.

The overall goal of the center for farming systems, rural prosperity and economic sustainability (CFSRPES) is for 1890 land grant universities (LGUS) to develop, leverage and share best practices, innovations, technologies and personnel across an eighteen-state region address the profitability, conservation and prosperity challenges of small farmers, ranchers and forestland owners (SFRLS). Emphasis is placed on small to medium farmers. CFSRPES builds on and incorporates the structure and learnings from the center for innovation and sustainability of small farms, ranches and forestlands (CISFRL), an 1890 center of excellence currently funded by USDA nifa (2020-2022). CFSRPES uses an integrative research- education-extension approach with multiple disciplinary university partnerships, private and public sector partnerships to benefit and strengthen SFRLS and engage and educate students in the food, agricultural, natural resources and human (FANH) sciences at the 1890 LGUS. CFSRPES has five thrust areas (THA). The THA are farm commodities, processes and systems; ranch commodities, processes and systems; forest commodities, processes and systems; value added technology; and integrated environment, economic and social impacts. All THA teams include marketing and entrepreneurship components. Cross-THA and multi-state collaborations are encouraged.