The Agroecosystem Sustainability Center at the University of Illinois SMARTFARM Program

Research in sustainable agriculture and agroecology is applied in nature and often relies on participatory methods that engage the farmers, community and business groups, or consumers. Related research draws on their strengths in soil, water, and microbial sciences to apply ecological principles to solve problems in agriculture and to determine how farming methods and conservation practices influence ecosystem services, disease-pest-antibiotic resistance, and climate mitigation. The SMARTFARM program’s objective is to bridge the data gap in the biofuel supply chain by funding technologies that can quantify feedstock-related emissions at the field level and enable new market incentives for efficiency in feedstock production and carbon management.