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Innovations in the Food Supply Chain to Reduce Food Waste 

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $188,260

Total award amount   $377,114

Location   Auburn, AL

Matching Funders   Auburn University

Grantee Institution   Auburn University

Global food loss and waste is a growing threat to food security. Auburn University researchers are reducing food waste in the food supply chain by develop “Functional Ice” for storage and transportation of raw poultry and seafood.

Harnessing Endophytes to Improve Crop Efficiency and Production 

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $292,230

Total award amount   $584,461

Location   Athens, GA

Matching Funders   University of Georgia Department of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Georgia Department of Crop Soil Science, University of Georgia Institute of Plant Breeding

Grantee Institution   University of Georgia Research Foundation

Agricultural production is not advancing fast enough to meet projected demands for food. Meeting these needs requires agricultural innovations and beneficial microorganisms are a promising way to increase crop growth, boost stress resistance and prevent diseases. Scientists and farmers must first understand how microorganisms work. University of Georgina Research Foundation Inc. is studying how crops are affected by the microbes that live inside them and how the environment impacts this relationship.

Direct Linkage of Dietary Components with Metabolizers in the Microbiota 

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $299,535

Total award amount   $599,070

Location   Raleigh, NC

Matching Funders   North Carolina State University

Grantee Institution   NC State University

Diet effects gut microbiota, which can provide beneficial or detrimental effects in human and animal health. North Carolina State University researchers are linking dietary components to the microbes in intestinal tracts of humans and animals to design diets that foster health-promoting microbes and deprive disease-causing microbes of their food source.

Effects of Asymptomatic Listeriosis on Dairy Cattle Fecal Microbiota 

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $102,366

Total award amount   $207,365

Location   Madison, WI

Matching Funders   UW Madison Food Recovery

Grantee Institution   University of Wisconsin Madison

Listeria monocytogenes is a harmful pathogen that can cause severe illness. University of Wisconsin researchers are examining the interactions of L. monocytogenes with cattle gastrointestinal tract microbiota. Although clinical listeriosis is rare, L. monocytogenes is frequently shed by dairy cattle, reflecting a high prevalence of infection.

Developing CRISPR-Cpf1 Genome Editing Technologies for Crop Improvement 

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $282,843

Total award amount   $565,686

Location   College Park, MD

Matching Funders   Syngenta

Grantee Institution   University of Maryland College Park

Plant genome editing can increase agricultural productivity and help agriculture adapt to climate change. University of Maryland-College Park researchers are developing CRISPR-Cas12a based plant genome editing systems with broadened targeting range and improved editing activity and specificity. If successful, these tools could accelerate plant breeding for generating high-productivity crops with stress resistance to climate change.

A Coupled Natural-Human System Approach to Solving Locust Plagues 

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $298,835

Total award amount   $607,729

Location   Tempe, AZ

Matching Funders   ASU-Global Institute of Sustainability

Grantee Institution   Arizona State University

Locusts devastate agriculture globally, especially in subsistence farming communities. Locust outbreaks are unpredictable; however, sustainable land use can keep locusts at bay. Arizona State University researchers are exploring connections between land-use practices and locust outbreaks, while identifying and addressing barriers to sustainable locust management.

FFAR Awards $2.4 Million to Eight Early-Career Research Faculty Members for Innovative Research Projects 

Edward Buckler Awarded National Academy of Sciences Prize 

In the Lab with NAS Prize Winner Ed Buckler 

Portrait of Edward Buckler.

Dr. Ed Buckler

FFAR Congratulates Edward Buckler, First Recipient of Prestigious NAS Prize for Extraordinary Contribution to Food and Agriculture