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FFAR award amount $612,257
Year Awarded 2021
Total award amount $800,000
Location St. Paul, MN
Matching Funders Benson Hill, Keygene, Syngenta, University of Minnesota
Program Plant Protein Enhancement Project
Plant protein is an important part of the global diet, but there are barriers limiting plant protein’s potential. Some amino acids, which are essential to diets, are missing or less abundant in plant protein. Also, a popular plant protein, soy, is an allergen for many. One alternative to soy is pea protein, but its nutritional value lags soy. University of Minnesota researchers are studying pea protein, develop methods for screening peas with superior protein nutrition and quality and breed these traits to cultivated peas.
FFAR award amount $189,794
Total award amount $760,271
Location Ithaca, NY
FFAR invests in a range of research technologies, including projects that use biotechnology and gene editing to make agriculture more sustainable, protect biodiversity and ensure that the world has sufficient food to feed a growing population. Through this award, the Alliance for Science, a global communications initiative, is amplifying FFAR-funded research and programs.
FFAR award amount $664,000
Total award amount $739,000
Location College Park, MD
Matching Funders BASF
Program Accelerated Crop Breeding
While gene editing technology has improved crop breeding and adaptation, the process of regrowing a plant from edited cells is costly, lengthy and unpredictable. Many popular crops are difficult to regenerate with existing methods. Researchers at the University of Maryland are developing a CRISPR-Combo system that will use CRISPR gene editing technology to kick-start the regeneration process.
FFAR award amount $1,997,454
Total award amount $3,997,423
Location Minneapolis, MN
Matching Funders Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Cargill, Friends of the Mississippi River, Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, McKnight Foundation, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, NORI, The Land Institute, Walton Family Foundation
FFAR award amount $387,556
Total award amount $387,556
Location West Lafayette, IN
Matching Funders Open Philanthropy
Plant-based protein alternatives are a rapidly expanding market. Soy and pea proteins can closely replicate the texture of meats, but they lack the chewy quality of meat, known as viscoelasticity, which creates a tender bite. Researchers at Purdue University are studying the viscoelasticity of a corn protein, zein, to develop a new commercial meat substitute.
FFAR award amount $1,012,500
Total award amount $1,200,000
Location Fargo, ND
Matching Funders Benson Hill, Keygene, Syngenta, North Dakota State University, Open Philanthropy
Peas are a popular source of plant protein, their production has a limited environmental footprint and they are economically beneficial for farmers. Although breeding efforts are partially focused on improving the nutritional content of peas, this gain is not happening fast enough to meet growing demand. North Dakota State University researchers are building genomic resources, breeding models and tools for improving total protein content in peas.
Matching Funders North Carolina State University
Climate change, a growing population and evolving pests and pathogens threaten the security of our global food supply. Employers need trained scientists to conduct research that helps farms and food systems adapt to these challenges. FFAR and North Carolina State University are excited to announce the 26 students selected for the 2021 FFAR Fellows Program.
FFAR award amount $75,000
Total award amount $273,000
Location Jacksonville, Fla.
Matching Funders The Kirchner Impact Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Burroughs-Wellcome Fund
The Kirchner Food Fellowship, an initiative of the Kirchner Impact Foundation, announced the fellows for the inaugural Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) cohort. As a pioneering program in developing the next generation of venture capital in food and agriculture, the program launched the dedicated HBCU cohort to help address the lack of diversity within the venture capital sector.
FFAR award amount $10,000
Location WASHINGTON
Matching Funders Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC)
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) announced the fourteen recipients of the 2021 Veterinary Student Research Fellowships (Vet Fellows) in partnership with the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). This fellowship creates opportunities for veterinary students to pursue research on global food security and sustainable animal production as FFAR is Awarding an Amount of $10,000 per student.
FFAR award amount $10,000,000
Total award amount $23,200,000
Location ROSEMONT, Ill.
Matching Funders Dairy Management Inc. and Newtrient
Dairy farmers face increasing pressure from the private and public sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental practices can offset the dairy industry’s carbon footprint, but additional research is needed to determine their effectiveness. Thus, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) awarded a $10 million grant to the Dairy Research Institute (DRI) to support the dairy community’s Net Zero Initiative, an industry-wide effort to adopt practices and technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve environmental health.
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