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Novel Biobased Antiviral Treatments for Bee Pollinator Health 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $449,493

Total award amount   $449,493

Location   Albany, CA

Grantee Institution   USDA-ARS Pollinator Health Unit, Davis

Honey bees are essential agricultural pollinators that are threatened by a constant flux of interacting stressors. Viral pathogens are strongly linked to managed bee colony losses worldwide. Antiviral treatments are needed to support beekeeping industries and uphold crucial pollination services. Ricigliano’s lab is developing bee antiviral treatments that are cost-effective, scalable and do not rely on synthetic chemicals. The project incorporates biotechnological approaches and natural product-based treatments to improve bee immunity and virus resistance.

Developing Multifunctional & Durable Agro-based Food Packaging to Reduce Toxic Plastic Waste & Sustainably Advance a Bioeconomy 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $445,585

Total award amount   $445,585

Location   Lubbock, TX

Grantee Institution   Texas Tech University

Single-use plastic packaging releases microplastics that pollute land and water and cause cancer and other illnesses. Plant-based, single-use food packaging are an alternative but this packaging is not as strong as plastic and is not as resistant to water and grease. Rajan’s research seeks to overcome these challenges by developing high performance, plant-based packaging. Using plant residue from agriculture production, Rajan is enhancing the durability, strength and processing ability of bio-based packaging.

Water & Soil Sustainability for Nutritious Rice Production 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $427,120

Total award amount   $427,120

Location   Oneonta, NY

Grantee Institution   State University of New York (SUNY) at Oneonta

As cultivable land faces growing pressure from soil degradation, salinity and a changing climate, rice is increasingly grown in suboptimal conditions, raising the risk of lower grain nutrition and increased arsenic and cadmium contamination. Maguffin’s team at SUNY Oneonta studies how irrigation practices shape redox dynamics in rice paddy soils, influencing nutrient availability and toxin mobility. Using controlled growth chambers, they simulate future climate scenarios to examine how irrigation, salinity and elevated carbon dioxide interact with pore water, soil and rice genetics. Their work supports sustainable practices that improve food safety and grain nutritional quality.

Integrating Genomic Prediction with Crop Modeling to Develop Climate-Resilient Cultivars 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $448,491

Total award amount   $448,491

Location   Fayetteville, AR

Grantee Institution   University of Arkansas

Plant breeding and improved agriculture practices have increased crops’ yields and nutrition, but severe weather events threaten crop losses and food insecurity. The current genomic prediction models that plant breeders use to develop crops that can withstand weather stresses struggle to make accurate predictions about future weather conditions. To address this, Fernandes is developing machine-learning genomic prediction models that directly integrate crop growth models, which include plant physiology and environmental interactions. The genomic model and crop growth model will inform each other to generate enhanced yield predictions across current and potential future weather scenarios.

Perennial Grain Staple Foods Program 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $448,928

Total award amount   $657,514

Location   Salina, KS

Matching Funders   The Land Institute

Grantee Institution   The Land Institute

Perennial grains, which are planted once and harvested over several growing seasons, help preserve soil health and add variety to our food supply, decreasing risks from extreme weather, pests and pathogens. Craine and the Land Institute are working with stakeholders from local communities and industry, as well as farmers, chefs and consumers, to introduce perennial grains into our agricultural system. Research priorities include making grains edible, nutritious and appealing and building supply chains from farms to plates.

Developing an Extensive Database of US Groundwater Wells 

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

FFAR Announces New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Awardees 

FFAR Seeks Nominations for 2024 New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award 

FFAR Announces New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Awardees 

The Revitalization of Indigenous Crops in the Southwest 

Year Awarded  2023

Total award amount   $450,000

Location   Tempe, AZ

Grantee Institution   University of Arizona

Climate change is compromising highly nutritious, localized food grown by Indigenous societies, which has led to detrimental health disparities for American Indians, including higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Dr. Michael Kotutwa Johnson aims to ensure crop biodiversity and increase access to nutritious food through partnerships with tribal communities. Kotutwa Johnson is examining water conservation practices that increase Indigenous food production, analyzing Indigenous foods’ nutritional value to integrate these foods into USDA and other food programs and developing safeguards to protect Indigenous groups data rights.