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Awarded Grants
Below is a listing of our awarded grants that tackle big food and agriculture challenges.

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19 Grants found

Conservation of an Endophytic Insect-pathogenic Fungus for Plant Protection in Organic Cropping Systems.

Cover Crops for Soil Health: Demonstration of On-Farm Trial

Biosolarization: Harnessing the Sun and Organic Matterfor Weed Control

A Multi-scalar, Multi-objective Approach to Sustainable Water Management within Agricultural Systems

Harnessing Multi-Trophic Chemical Ecology to Obtain Sustainable Pest Control and Improved Soil Health

Ecosystem Marketplace Consortium

Partnership with Organic Farming Research Foundation

Partnership with Organic Farming Research Foundation

Partnership with Organic Farming Research Foundation

Advanced Harvest Techniques Facilitate Food Safe Soil Health Practices in Almond Orchards

Assessing & Expanding Soil Health for Production, Economics, & the Environmental Benefits v2

Prairie Strips for Healthy Soils and Thriving Farms

Plant-Soil-Water Nexus: Agricultural Systems Research on Tribal Lands

The GroundBreaker Prize: Innovating Soil 3.0

The GroundBreaker Prize: Innovating Soil 3.0

The GroundBreaker Prize: Innovating Soil 3.0

Using Active Organic Matter Tests to Help Predict Crop Nutrient Needs

Building Soil Health Through Rotational Diversity and Soil Microorganisms

Going Back to the Roots To Transform Soil Health into Yield

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Conservation of an Endophytic Insect-pathogenic Fungus for Plant Protection in Organic Cropping Systems.

FFAR award amount   $19,468

Year Awarded   2020

Total award amount   $19,468

Location   State College, PA

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

Weeds, pests and diseases often devastate soil health, impact environmental health and threaten global food security. In partnership with the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), we awarded a grant to Pennsylvania State University researchers examine how to promote and conserve the beneficial soil fungus, Metarhizium robertsii. This fungus can increase plant growth and tolerance to environmental stresses, which are expected to increase with climate change.

Cover Crops for Soil Health: Demonstration of On-Farm Trial

FFAR award amount   $19,620

Year Awarded   2020

Total award amount   $19,620

Location   Rio Grande, TX

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

Weeds, pests and diseases often devastate soil health, impact environmental health and threaten global food security. In partnership with the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), we awarded a grant to the University of Texas at Rio Grande to evaluate whether cover crops can restore soil health, suppress weeds and reduce pest populations. This research provides farmers with information on cover crop selection and management that improves the long-term sustainability of organic agriculture systems.

Biosolarization: Harnessing the Sun and Organic Matterfor Weed Control

FFAR award amount   $17,337

Year Awarded   2020

Total award amount   $17,337

Location   Sacramento Valley, CA

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

Weeds, pests and diseases devastate soil health, impact environmental health and threaten global food security. In partnership with the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), we awarded a grant to The National Center for Appropriate Technology to measuring the efficacy of biosolarization—an innovative weed control that combines soil solarization (trapping solar radiation under a plastic tarp) with biofumigation (using biologically-active plant substances to suppress soil-borne pests and pathogens) – to prove that biosolarization provides weed control in a better and more timely manner.

A Multi-scalar, Multi-objective Approach to Sustainable Water Management within Agricultural Systems

FFAR award amount   $259,207

Year Awarded   2019

Total award amount   $518,413

Location   Manhattan, KS

Matching Funders   Kansas State University

Agriculture accounts for about 38 percent of the nation’s freshwater withdrawals. Excessive water use results in over irrigation which leads to damaging crops and soil. Kansas State University researchers are developing decision-making tools to help irrigators conserve scarce water resources while preserving their livelihood. 

Harnessing Multi-Trophic Chemical Ecology to Obtain Sustainable Pest Control and Improved Soil Health

FFAR award amount   $300,000

Year Awarded   2019

Total award amount   $600,000

Location   State College, PA

Matching Funders   Pennsylvania State University, University of California (UC), Davis Department of Entomology, Almond Board of California, Hedgerow Farms, UC Davis Student Research Farm, UC Davis Saratoga Research Endowment, IF LLC, California Department of Pesticide Regulation, Sola Bee Farms, Henry’s Bullfrog Bees, Steve Godlin, Regents of the University of Minnesota, Dickinson College

Pests and pathogens destroy food crops, causing significant losses to farmers and threatening food security. The Pennsylvania State University research team is discovering mechanisms and management practices that manage interactions between cover crops, soil dynamics and beneficial organisms to increase crop resistance to pests and pathogens.

Ecosystem Marketplace Consortium

FFAR award amount   $10,300,000

Year Awarded   2019

Total award amount   $20,600,000

Location   Morrisville, NC

Matching Funders   Noble Research Institute, General Mills Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, US Department of Agriculture's Natural Research Conservation Service, United Soybean Board

Climate change is threatening food security and farmer livelihood. FFAR invested in the Ecosystem Services Market Research Consortium (ESMRC) to establish research arm for the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium to create a functional ecosystem services market. The Ecosystem Marketplace pays and recognizes farmers and ranchers who adopt conservation management practices that improve soil health, water usage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Partnership with Organic Farming Research Foundation

Year Awarded   2019

Total award amount   $20,000

Location   Bozeman, MT

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

In the Northern Great Plains, where wheat is the primary crop, organic farmers are rotating in lentils. Lentils generate additional income and improve soil health. However, little is known about the optimum amount of lentil seeds that should be planted to ensure maximum nutrient acquisition, weed management and yield potential. Montana State University Researchers are addressing this research gap by exploring the relationship between seeding rates, lentil yields and soil health.

Partnership with Organic Farming Research Foundation

Year Awarded   2019

Location   Raleigh, NC

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

Invasive pests and weeds are a considerable problem for organic sweet potato farmers. Currently farmers depend on repeated cultivation to manage weeds, a energy and labor intensive process that damages the soil. North Carolina State University researchers are assessing whether annual winter cover crop systems can control weeds and insects. This approach aims to provide innovative management techniques that protect soil health.

Partnership with Organic Farming Research Foundation

Year Awarded   2019

Location   Berkeley, CA

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

Efficient use of organic fertilizers can enhance soil fertility but determining how much to apply is a challenge; too much fertilizer wastes money and pollutes the environment, while too little can impede crop growth. A University of California, Berkeley team is helping farmers reduce costs and the environmental impacts through informed nutrient management decision concerning the type of fertilizer to use and timing fertility applications on diversified organic farms.

Advanced Harvest Techniques Facilitate Food Safe Soil Health Practices in Almond Orchards

FFAR award amount   $225,000

Year Awarded   2018

Total award amount   $450,000

Location   Davis, CA

Matching Funders   Almond Board of California, Ples Due Family Farms, Mullerberry Farms, Bays Ranch Inc.

Almonds typically dry out on the orchard floor before being harvested. This practice prevents growers from using manure or compost that could improve the soil but could also contaminate the almonds. University of California, Davis researchers are testing machinery that harvests almonds, leaving the hulls and shells on the ground to improve soil health.

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