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

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64 Grants found

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Uniting Urban Agriculture Operations to Increase Food Security

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $300,000

Total award amount   $600,667

Location   New York City, NY

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business

Grantee Institution   NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business

The New York City urban agriculture community is fragmented, with little understanding of who is growing food and how it is being distributed. Consistent data collection and access is the first step to understanding urban agriculture systems and promoting equitable food access. Led by Marianna Koval, NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business researchers are developing a data collection tool to establish a baseline understanding of local food production in New York City.

Validation of Efficacy of a Protective DIVA-Compatible Prototype African Swine Fever Virus Vaccine

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $1,000,000

Total award amount   $2,645,427

Location   Manhattan, KS

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Elanco Animal Health, Kansas State University, Kansas State University Innovation Partners and MEDIAN Diagnostics, Inc.

Grantee Institution   Kansas State University

African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) is a highly contagious, fatal disease in pigs that spreads rapidly. There is no commercially available treatment or vaccine for the virus, and the threat to U.S. swine production is significant. To protect U.S. herds, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine researchers are developing and validating a vaccine to protect pigs from ASFV.

A new methods of managing human waste for improved soil health, carbon sequestration, contaminant removal, and social acceptability

Year Awarded  2022

Location   Brattelboro, VT

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Cornell University, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Rich Earth Institute, University of Michigan

Grantee Institution   Rich Earth Institute

Synthetic fertilizers accelerate crop growth and are commonly used in agriculture; however, these products contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, wastewater is also a source of pollution, and only a fraction of the vast quantity of nutrients flowing through modern wastewater treatment systems is captured for beneficial reuse. A significant portion of regional fertilizer needs could be met by reclaiming the nutrients present in wastewater. The Rich Earth Institute is producing biochar from wastewater material to potentially be used to develop safe, renewable fertilizers that enhance agricultural productivity, support soil health, reduce nutrient pollution and mitigate climate change through soil carbon sequestration.

FFAR Grant Promotes Sorghum Health Benefits

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $846,991

Total award amount   $1,721,129

Location   Clemson, SC

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Clemson University and Carolina Seed Systems, Inc.

(FFAR) is providing a $846,991 Seeding Solutions grant to Clemson University to study sorghum plant properties that enhance beneficial compounds in commercial sorghum, while preserving the crop’s dual use as animal feed.

Development of new alphaamylase immunoassays to preserve wheat grain value and accelerate breeding for climate resilience

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $835,889

Total award amount   $2,037,107

Location   Pullman, WA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   EnviroLogix, HighLine Grain Growers, The McGregor Company, Washington Grain Commission, Washington State University, The Wheat Marketing Center

Grantee Institution   Washington State University

High levels of alpha-amylase protein in wheat can lead to a low falling number score, a factor that determines the quality and price of wheat. Because alpha-amylase digests starch, wheat with a low falling number score produces flour with lower gelling capacity, causing cakes that fall or sticky bread and noodles, and significantly lowering the price growers receive. If growers cannot detect wheat with a low falling number, the wheat may mix with sound wheat on farms, in grain elevators or during transport, essentially compromising the entire bushel. Washington State University researchers are developing a faster, cheaper and more accurate test that measures alpha-amylase on farms and in elevators, preventing mixing of low and high falling number wheat.

Urban farming at the Water, Food, Energy Nexus: soil health practices with agrivoltaic impacts on crops, soils, carbon, and water

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $880,898

Total award amount   $1,798,114

Location   Claremont, CA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   American Farmland Trust CA, City of Riverside, Climate Resolve, GRID Alternatives, Huerta del Valle, Inland Empire Resource Conservation District (IERCD), The Nature Conservancy, Pacific Biochar Benefit Corporation, Pitzer College, and Pomona College

Grantee Institution   Pitzer College

This research aims to understand the benefits of agrivoltaics—regenerative farming soil practices paired with solar energy production—on a local food system.

UC Davis Receives FFAR Grant to Help Improve Vineyard Soil Health

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $999,003

Total award amount   $2,600,000

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Jackson Family Wines

Regenerative agriculture, which uses holistic farming and grazing practices to strengthen soil health and crop productivity, may help grape vines become more resilient to changing climate conditions. However, more research is needed to increase adoption of regenerative agriculture practices on vineyards. FFAR awarded a Seeding Solutions grant to the University of California, Davis to assess the effects of regenerative practices on vineyard soil health.

Building a Common Language for Antimicrobial Resistance Between Human & Animal Health

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $216,724

Total award amount   $433,449

Location   Ames, IA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Merck MSD

To strengthen antimicrobial stewardship within livestock veterinary medicine this research aims to develop a standard method of collecting, reporting and sharing multispecies antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results for use in human and animal health industries.

Expanding development of a predictive model to quantify the risk reduction associated with specific soil health practices for use by private & public lenders & insurers to incentivize the transition to resilient, climate-smart agriculture

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $715,611

Total award amount   $1,449,611

Location   Grass Valley, CA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Paul and June Rossetti Foundation, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, J.M. Kaplan Fund, Great Island Foundation and Records-Johnston Family Foundation

This research is generating an unprecedented market-based, actuarially-sound model to quantify farm risk mitigation through the adoption of good soil health practices. The model will provide agricultural lenders and insurers who price risk an economic rational to factor in incentives such as better terms or lower loan rates and insurance prices to producers adopting good soil health practices.

Investigating Natural Nitro-Compounds as a Viable Strategy to Reduce Enteric Methane Emission from Ruminants

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $455,704

Total award amount   $914,543

Location   State College, PA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Purina Animal Nutrition

Enteric methane is the single largest source of direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the beef and dairy sectors, representing 2.5% of total U.S. GHG emissions. Led by Dr. Alexander N. Hristov, researchers are investigating using a non-synthetic form of an anti-methanogenic compound, 3-nitro-1-propionic acid (3-NPA), derived from plant and fungal sources as a feed additive to reduce enteric methane in ruminants.