NSAIS
The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (NSAIS), also known as ATTRA, was created by the 1985 Farm Bill and is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). NSAIS is funded under a grant from the USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
NSAIS provides information and technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture in the U.S. NSAIS is also a valuable complement to the SARE program and other USDA research programs through its provision of readily accessible sustainable and organic farming information to farmers and ranchers across the nation. More recently, NSAIS has expanded resources for farm energy conservation and renewable energy production.
Currently, after the 2008 Farm Bill, NSAIS is authorized to receive $5 million, although the program has historically not received more than $2.8 million in appropriations. NSAIS funding was zeroed out in the fiscal year 2011 appropriations process, and the program was completely eliminated. However, NSAC and its allies across the country, fought hard to restore funding for this vital resource for sustainable farmers, and was successful in re-establishing the program with $2.25 million in funding for fiscal year 2012.