Refine Results
Priority Areas
Consortia
Program
Location
Year

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

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $225,000

Total award amount   $450,000

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Seeding Solutions

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

Grantee Institution   University of California Davis

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.

Optimizing Water Use in Agriculture by Stacking Conservation Practices 

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $300,000

Total award amount   $600,001

Location   Logan, UT

Matching Funders   USU CAES, Central Utah Water Conservancy District, E&I Conservation District, Unitah Conservation District, North Cache Conservation District, Senninger Irrigation, Central Iron County Water Conservancy District, USU RGS

Grantee Institution   Utah State University

Concerns about water scarcity are mounting due to rapid urban growth, depleting groundwater supplies and water shortages from climate trends. Utah State University researchers are assessing the combined effectiveness of several methods of water optimization in agriculture, including more efficient water application and management and advanced crop genetics.

FFAR Awards $9.4 Million to Spur Next Leap in Agriculture: Improved Soil Health to Optimize Economic and Environmental Results for U.S. Farmers 

FFAR Awards $1 Million Grant to Create Open Source Technology for Gene Discovery in Plants 

Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Reinvestment 

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $15,000,000

Total award amount   $45,000,000

Location   Champaign, IL

Matching Funders   Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), formerly the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID).

Grantee Institution   University of Illinois

While no single strategy will achieve the 50 to 70 percent increase in production needed to meet the global food demands of 2050, improving photosynthesis remains a source of untapped potential. Understanding the complex 170-step photosynthetic process is critical to streamlining crop production and improving global food sustainability.
Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) is an international research project engineering crops to be more productive by improving photosynthesis, the natural process all plants use to convert sunlight into energy and yields. By equipping farmers with higher-yielding crops, researchers are increasing global food productivity.

The Time is RIPE for Agricultural Innovation 

Portrait of Sally Rockey.

Sally Rockey, Ph.D.

Executive Director Emeritus

FFAR Awards $9.4 Million to Spur Next Leap in Agriculture: Improved Soil Health to Optimize Economic and Environmental Results for U.S. Farmers 

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $9,400,000

Total award amount   $20,000,000

Location   Morrisville, NC

Matching Funders   General Mills, the Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, Midwest Row Crop Collaborative, Monsanto (Bayer), Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Walmart Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and individual donors

Grantee Institution   Soil Health Institute

Soil health is a critical component of a productive and sustainable agricultural system. Farming practices that improve soil health can increase profitability while protecting natural resources like air and water for communities. The goal of this project is to support collaborative research and education that accelerates adoption and benefits of soil health management systems nationally.

In Largest Grant to Date, FFAR Joins $45 Million Project to Increase Staple Crop Yields by Harnessing Photosynthesis 

FFAR Grant to Measure On-Farm Nutrient Management Practices 

Getting Smarter During Smart Irrigation Month 

Deborah M. Hamlin and Dr. Sally Rockey

ID: 554772