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132 found

FFAR Awards Grant to Reduce Water Waste in Crop Irrigation

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $650,000

Total award amount   $1,300,000

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   University of California, Davis

Sensors currently available to growers to measure plant water status are prohibitive. UC Davis researchers are developing a small sensor sensitive enough to measure as little as a one percent change in leaf thickness and volumetric water content at the same time. These two measurements provide growers with clear, consistent data to calculate the plant’s water status.

Harnessing Translational Research Across a Global Wheat Improvement Network for Climate Resilience

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $5,000,000

Total award amount   $17,000,000

Location   Texcoco, Mexico

Matching Funders   Accelerating Genetic Gains for Maize and Wheat, CGIAR Research Program on Wheat

Hotter and drier weather, driven by a changing climate, threatens the global wheat supply. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is leading the Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Consortium (HeDWIC) to develop wheat designed to ensure the crop’s long-term climate resilience.

Enhancing Human Health and Nutrition from Soil to Society Using Quinoa as a Model Crop Species

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $1,000,000

Total award amount   $2,044,872

Location   Pullman, WA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Lundberg Family Farms, Washington State University

Despite its popularity and nutritional content, quinoa is still underutilized because it is imported, even though nutritious, high-quality varieties can grow and thrive in this country. Washington State University researchers are growing new quinoa varieties and analyzing them for amino acid and micronutrient concentrations. The researchers are testing soil and nutrient management practices that enhance the crops’ nutritional values while also improving yield. Thousands of quinoa varieties are being evaluated in diverse soil types and unique environments.

FFAR Funds Novel Supply-Demand Technology, Connecting Institutional Buyers to Specialty Crop Farmers

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $2,000,000

Total award amount   $4,000,000

Location   Memphis, TN

Matching Funders   AgLaunch, Mississippi State University, The Seam, Tennessee State University, Wallace Center at Winrock International, Tennessee Department of Agriculture

The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated that greater tools are needed to ensure flexibility in the food supply chain during major crises to ensure both economic security for farmers and food security for consumers. The Open Market Consortium (OMC)is developing and piloting an open-source, public-access blockchain system to connect small and mid-size farmers to institutional buyers and minimize supply disruptions. OMC, led by AgLaunch Initiative, includes founding members Mississippi State University, The Seam, Tennessee State University and the Wallace Center at Winrock International.

FFAR Funds Dashboards to Track Food Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $221,743

Total award amount   $506,743

Location   West Lafayette, IN

Matching Funders   Microsoft

Food processing disruptions caused by COVID-19 outbreaks highlight the need for better real-time monitoring and reporting of the status of the food supply chain to prevent or mitigate food crises. Purdue University researchers are creating a series of open-access online dashboards that help quantify and illustrate potential disruptions to the food supply chain. The dashboards will focus on COVID-19 but have the flexibility to be tailored to suit future market disruptions.

Genetic and microbial determinants of nitrogen fixation in a Sierra Mixe landrace of maize

Year Awarded  2019

FFAR award amount   $927,581

Total award amount   $1,855,162

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Benson Hill

Plants need nitrogen to grow. Although the majority of earth’s atmosphere is made up of nitrogen, plants cannot access this form of nitrogen. We awarded a grant to the University of California, Davis to study a Mexican corn variety, Sierra Mixe, that obtains atmospheric nitrogen with the help of microbes, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.

Precision Irrigation Scheduling for Specialty Crops

Year Awarded  2019

FFAR award amount   $500,000

Total award amount   $1,323,242

Location   Boulder, CO

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   The University of Arizona Yuma, Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, University of California, Western Growers Association

Farmers growing specialty crops deal with a multitude of complexities such as lacking access to cost-effective irrigation guidance tools. Specialty crops are often over-irrigated which can jeopardize food security. GeoVisual Analytics researchers are improving irrigation guidance and grower adoption of precision irrigation technologies by analyzing data and field measurements.

FFAR Vet Fellows Inaugural Cohort

Year Awarded  2019

Total award amount   $10,000 per student

Location   Washington, D.C.

Matching Funders   American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC)

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) announced the 10 recipients of the 2019 Veterinary Student Research Fellowships (Vet Fellows) in partnership with the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). This fellowship creates opportunities for veterinary students to pursue research on global food security and sustainable animal production.

FFAR Grant Maps Corn Drought Tolerance Genes

FFAR Grant Helps Heat-Stressed Dairy Cows Weather Increasing Temperatures

Year Awarded  2019

FFAR award amount   $736,392

Total award amount   $1,470,000

Location   Ithaca, NY

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   AB Vista, Adisseo, Balchem Corporation, Berg + Schmidt, Elanco, Phibro Animal Health and Vetagro S.p.A.

The demand for dairy products and milk globally is expected to increase 57% by 2050. However, rising temperatures are compromising the American dairy industry’s ability to meet these demands because a cow’s milk production can decline up to 70% in warm weather. Holsteins, by far the dominant breed in US dairy farming, begin to suffer heat stress at 75 degrees Fahrenheit. These heat-stressed dairy cows cost the American dairy industry an alarming $1.5 billion annually. Heat-stressed dairy cows also have reduced fertility, are more likely to develop infectious and metabolic diseases and may succumb to premature death.