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

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457 Grants found

International Lettuce Genomics Consortium 4: Pre-competitive Foundational Research for Lettuce Breeding

Reducing the Carbon Footprint of U.S. Beef Cattle Production – a Texas Pilot Program

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FFAR Grant Addressing Surface and Groundwater Pollution on Farms 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $316,000

Total award amount   $632,231

Location   Avondale, AZ

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Stroud Center and the Science Technology and Research Institute of Delaware (STRIDE)

Grantee Institution   Stroud Water Research Center

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemical compounds used in hundreds of applications. Due to their high thermal stability, resistance to chemical degradation and related waste disposal, PFAS is an environmental concern. Stroud Center researchers, in collaboration with STRIDE Center for PFAS Solutions, are examining the occurrence and migration of biosolid-derived PFAS in soil and water on agricultural fields.

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

Grantee Institution   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

Grantee Institution   CIMMYT

Hotter and drier weather 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 productivity.

Determining Environmental and Biological Conditions Influencing Lettuce Discoloration, Yield and Leaf Quality 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $2,591,231

Total award amount   $4,792,131

Location   Washington, D.C.

Matching Funders   Aerofarms, Fluence, GreenVenus, Priva, BASF

Grantee Institution   Aerofarms

Lettuce is a popular vegetable in the U.S., but much of the produce is not marketable because lettuce leaves discolor after harvest. Our Precision Indoor Plants (PIP) Consortium is researching ways to prevent discoloration in indoor-grown lettuce, while increasing lettuce yield and leaf quality. This is the first project funded by the PIP Consortium.

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

Grantee Institution   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 Fellows Program 2020 Cohort 

Year Awarded  2020

Matching Funders   North Carolina State University

A unique three-year fellowship that prepares up to 48 graduate students to be the next generation of food and agriculture scientists by using an interdisciplinary approach to career readiness. Fellows work with university and industry representatives, as well as their peers, to conduct urgent research and engage in professional development.

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

Grantee Institution   AgLaunch

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.

Kirchner Food Fellowship 2020-21 Cohort 

Year Awarded  2020

Location   Birmingham, AL & Washington, D.C.

Matching Funders   Kirchner Impact Foundation and the Kirchner Group

The Kirchner Fellowship HBCU cohort is part of a $1 million five-year collaboration between the Kirchner Impact Foundation and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research to increase diversity within the venture capital industry by training HBCU students to become agriculture technology venture capitalists. Kirchner HBCU fellows invest capital in early-stage food and agriculture companies applying ground-breaking technologies to provide sustainable solutions to address global food challenges.

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

Grantee Institution   University of California Davis

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.

FFAR and NYSTAR Grant Helps RIT Examine Degradable Mulching Films 

Year Awarded  2019

FFAR award amount   $779,982

Total award amount   $1,560,000

Location   Rochester, NY

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR)

Grantee Institution   Rochester Institute of Technology

RIT researchers are developing an alternative to plastic mulch that decomposes faster and can be more easily disposed of on farms. The resulting mulch has the potential to cut costs for farmers while drastically reducing the amount of waste they produce. It could also reduce pesticide use, conserve water and increase crop yield and quality.