Sustaining Vibrant Agroecosystems

Our Agroecosystems research deepens our understanding of how agriculture systems interact with the surrounding environment.
Our Agroecosystems research deepens our understanding of how agriculture systems interact with the surrounding environment.

Contact Information:

science@foundationfar.org

Partnerships & Development Contact:

Sarah Zoubek
szoubek@foundationfar.org

Open Opportunities

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Prioritizing Agroecosystems Research

We use about half of our planet’s landmass to produce food. How we manage this land, and the agroecosystems that support it, is vital to sustaining crop production, environmental health and producers’ livelihoods.

FFAR invests in agroecosystems research to understand and improve the connectivity between soil, water and the environment to produce results that fully sustain vibrant agroecosystems.

Our Agroecosystems Priority Area focuses on soil health, water and climate-related research. This research addresses knowledge gaps and develops tools and technologies designed for site-specific decision-making. By accelerating innovation and adoption of climate-smart practices and technologies, this research connects farmers and scientists to co-create solutions that build and maintain healthy, productive agroecosystems under changing climate conditions.

The Agroecosystems research focuses on the following themes to achieve critical impacts:

A farmer with her hands in soil

Pathways to Adoption

This theme emphasizes socio-economic and agronomic research to understand the drivers for producer decisions related to regenerative agriculture and conservation practice adoption.

Informing Agroecosystems Decisions

This theme supports systems and modeling research to provide more practical, reliable and credible information to help producers, agriculture educators and stakeholders evaluate tradeoffs associated with transitions to regenerative and conservation alternatives.
Cover crops

Catalyzing Sustainable Solutions

This theme focuses on developing and refining knowledge, technology and practices that address present and future soil, water, climate and biodiversity challenges to enable productive and vibrant agroecosystems.

Agroecosystem Consortia

AgMission™

AgMission, FFAR’s signature climate initiative, was co-created with the World Farmers’ Organisation to unlock agriculture’s potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Through shared knowledge and collaboration, AgMission works with partners to support on-farm research and design actionable solutions to climate challenges in agriculture.

Ecosystem Services Market Consortium

The Ecosystem Services Market Consortium is conducting the research necessary to create a functional ecosystem services market, which pays farmers and ranchers for adopting conservation practices.

Efficient Fertilizer Consortium

The Efficient Fertilizer Consortium is a public-private partnership that funds research to advance enhanced efficiency and novel fertilizer products and practices that are environmentally beneficial and agronomically productive.

Irrigation Innovation Consortium

The IIC accelerates the development and adoption of novel water and energy-efficient irrigation technologies and practices through public-private partnerships.

Agroecosystem Grant Programs

Irrigation for eggplants.

Achieving Conservation Through Targeted Information, Outreach and Networking (ACTION) Program

The ACTION Program is developing innovative research that increases farmer and landowner adoption of conservation practices.

Water droplets on plant leaves.

FoodShot Global Challenge

FoodShot Global launches an annual FoodShot – a MoonShot for Better Food – to create a food system that is healthier, sustainable and equitable. The annual FoodShot identifies a pivotal challenge facing our food system and issues a global call for research to solve that challenge.

Man planting a seed in a field

Seeding Solutions

Seeding Solutions is our annual grant program that funds research pioneering science in each of our Research Priorities. We specifically support projects that convene unique partners from across the food and agriculture sector to solve bold challenges.

rows of seedlings in trays in a greenhouse with Black woman in kneeling down holding tablet observing them and additional person in background doing the same

Tuskegee University Organic Research Endowment

To advance organic agriculture and support equity in farming.

Two scientists analyzing vegetables

USDA-FFAR Innovation Challenge

Agroecosystem Awarded Grants

Row Crops to Perennial Pasture: Feeding the World, Conserving Water, Enhancing Soil and Safeguarding the Climate

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $996,165

Total award amount   $1,992,231

Location   Lubbock, TX

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Cactus Feeders and Texas A&M AgriLife

Grantee Institution   Texas A&M AgriLife

Determinants of Persistent Cover Crop Adoption and Dis-Adoption to Inform More Effective Farmer Incentives for Durable Adoption

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $138,888

Total award amount   $277,777

Location   Arlington, VA

Program   AgMission

Matching Funders   The Nature Conservancy

Grantee Institution   The Nature Conservancy

FoodShot Global Challenge #4 Water GroundBreaker Prize (United Kingdom)

Year Awarded  2024

Total award amount   80,000

Location   London, United Kingdom

Program   FoodShot Global Challenge

Matching Funders   Builders Initiative, FoodShot Global, The Rockefeller Foundation

Grantee Institution   ThinkAqua

See all Agroecosystems Awarded Grants

The Latest

Insights

Our Insights highlight unique perspectives from across the food and agriculture community.

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Using Artificial Intelligence to Calculate GHGs at the Individual Farm Level 

Kaiyu Guan

Dr. Kaiyu Guan

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Data for Dairy: Research to Guide Farmers in Their Sustainability Journey 

Reza Afshar

Reza Afshar

Vice President, Soil, Feed and Water Research at Dairy Management Inc.

Advancing Ecosystem Service Markets for Sustainable Farming 

Portrait of LaKisha Odom.

LaKisha Odom & DJ May

A Place for Everyone in Agriculture 

Portrait of LaKisha Odom.

Dr. LaKisha Odom & Jocelyn Hittle

Finding a New Way to Control Weeds in Cotton. 

Sarah Chu

Sarah Chu

FFAR Fellow, Texas A&M University

Irrigation’s Role in Ensuring Global Food Security 

Luke Reynolds

Irrigation Association

The “Good Soil Discount” — A Game Changer for U.S. Agriculture 

Harley Cross

Harley Cross

Land Core Co-founder & Director of Strategy

Global Agriculture Leaders See How Maryland Farmers Use Land-based Tools to Benefit Waterways 

Ernie Shea

President, Solutions from the Land

Organic Ag Podcast Features Innovative Industry Topics 

Portrait of KD.

Kathleen Delate

Professor, Organic Agriculture Program, Iowa State University 

Building Bridges Between Academics & Farmers 

Elizabeth Ellis

FFAR Fellow, Elizabeth Ellis

Manure – Waste or Resource? 

Portrait of Manny Sabbagh.

Manny Sabbagh

University of Minnesota

Diversifying the Future of Venture Capital 

The first cohort of the HBCU Kirchner Fellows are Bryana Pittman, Kwame Jackson and Martin Adu-Boahene who co-wrote this Insights piece to share the value of this fellowship and its potential impact.

What Do We Call Innovation? Looking for Common Cause in a Sea of Needs 

Portrait of Susie Hutton.

Susie Hutton

Can Adding Carbon to the Soil Help us Manage Weeds? 

Portrait of Maria Gannett.

Maria Gannett

2019-2022 FFAR Fellow

Gene Editing is a Real Solution for Climate Change 

Portrait of Nicholas Karavolias.

Nicholas Karavolias

FFAR Fellow 2020-2023

Taking Science Beyond the Bench: Critical Reflections for Change-Oriented Research 

Portrait of Krista Marshall.

Krista Marshall

2019-2022 FFAR Fellow

Soil is Not Dirt 

Portrait of Prairie.

Aaron Prairie

2020-2023 FFAR Fellow

Farmers & Ranchers Can Help In The Climate Crisis 

Dan Glickman and Bob Stallman

Fine-tuning photosynthesis 

Portrait of Dhruv Patel smiling.

Dhruv Patel

2019-2022 FFAR Fellow

Can biochar help adapt agriculture to a hotter, dryer climate? 

Portrait of Shelby Hoglund.

Shelby Hoglund

2018-2021 FFAR Fellow

News

The latest news and updates from FFAR.

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WFO-AgMission™ Report: Global Young Farmers’ Consultation on Climate-Smart Agriculture 

Seeding Solutions Grant Supports Transition to Sustainable Almond Production 

FFAR & OCP North America Announce Fertilizer Fellowship Awardees & Grant Opportunity 

FFAR & Danone North America Announce Grant Opportunity to Support Regenerative Agriculture 

Danone Insititute North America Accepting Grant Proposals for Sustainable Food Systems Initiatives 

Efficient Fertilizer Consortium Seeks Research to Evaluate Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Impact Globally 

FFAR’s Dr. LaKisha Odom Wins Two Prestigious Agriculture Awards 

Seeding Solutions Grant Promotes Clean Water Through Performance-Based Financing 

FFAR Seeding Solutions Grant Evaluates the Benefits of Converting Row Crops to Perennial Forage Systems 

Seeding Solutions Grant Provides Decision Support Tool for Extreme Weather Events 

Seeding Solutions Grant to Preserve Groundwater and Economically Benefit Growers 

FFAR & Eight Member Organizations Commit $8.45 Million to Efficient Fertilizer Consortium 

Seeding Solutions Grant Develops Cotton-Based Precision Irrigation 

AgMission Grant Evaluates Successful Incentives for Persistent Cover Crop Adoption 

FFAR & FoodShot Global Announce GroundBreaker Prize Winners in Water Research 

U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef & FFAR Announce Focus Group Series to Develop Sustainable Beef Research Roadmap 

AgMission & PepsiCo Grants Bolster Climate-Resilient Farms & Value Chains 

AgMission™ Funds Global Youth Consultation to Co-Create Agricultural Solutions with Young Farmers 

FFAR Awards Savanna Institute a Grant to Inform Agroforestry Adoption 

FFAR & The Organic Center Invest $632,000 into the Future of Organic Farming 

Breakthroughs

Tools, technologies and strategies from the research we fund.

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AI & Supercomputing Can Quantify Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Individual Farms 

Breakthrough for FFAR Grant Quantifies Organic Carbon to Improve Agricultural Productivity

Developing an Extensive Database of US Groundwater Wells 

Breakthrough for Achieving Sustainable Groundwater Management Through Innovative Governance & Optimal Agricultural Water Use Under Conflicting Objectives

Building Collaborations for Technology-Driven Solutions in Agriculture 

Breakthrough for Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management (OpenTEAM)

Documenting Adaptive Multi-Paddock Grazing’s Benefits 

Breakthrough for Quantifying the Advantages of Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing in the U.S. Southeast & Northern Great Plains

RIPE Researchers Prove Bioengineering Better Photosynthesis Increases Yields in Food Crops for the First Time 

Breakthrough for Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Reinvestment

The Irrigation Innovation Consortium & Parallel 41 Network: Building a path to data-driven management 

Want to do more to support our pioneering research?