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Contact: Sally Gifford, 202-720-2047
WASHINGTON,
Feb. 22, 2017 – The U.S. Department of
Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today
announced 19 grants totaling $4,790,100 to support agricultural science
programs at non-land-grant universities. The funding is made possible through
NIFA’s Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture
(NLGCA) program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.
“Our nation’s ability to achieve nutritional security in the
context of the multitude of biological and environmental constraints will
require continued new discoveries and a cadre of graduates who are prepared to
enter the agricultural workforce,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “NIFA
investments in supporting transformative research and education at the more
than 80 higher
education institutions that offer strong agricultural sciences programs is
critical.”
NIFA’s
NLGCA
program offers competitive grants to help these institutions maintain and
expand their capacity to conduct education, research, and outreach activities in
agriculture, renewable resources, and related disciplines. NLGCAs also support
the economic vitality of rural communities by funding new degree programs that
emphasize new and emerging employment opportunities.
Awards
for 2016 include:
- Arkansas State University, Arkansas,
$149,016
- California State University, Chico,
California, $150,000
- California State University,
Bakersfield, California,
$149,753
- California State University Fresno
Foundation, Fresno, California, $148,699
- Florida
State University, Tallahassee, Florida, $300,000
- Western
Kentucky University Research Foundation, Bowling Green, Kentucky, $297,278
- Murray State University, Murray,
Kentucky, $149,868
- Minnesota State University, Mankato,
Minnesota, $30,000
- Missouri
State University, Springfield, Missouri, $298,669
- Missouri State University,
Springfield, Missouri, $137,074
- Northwest Missouri State University,
Maryville, Missouri, $150,000
- Montclair
State College, Upper Montclair, New Jersey, $150,000
- SUNY College of Agriculture &
Technology, Cobleskill, New York, $749,216
- Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, $150,000
- University of Tennessee at Martin,
Tennessee, $299,989
- Middle Tennessee State University,
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, $283,072
- Texas Tech University, Lubbock,
Texas, $749,404
- Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas,
$148,556
- University
of Wisconsin, Platteville, Wisconsin, $299,506
Among the funded
projects, a Montclair State University project will investigate how farmers
markets in urban communities can improve both farmer livelihoods and nutrition
among low-income consumers. Texas Tech University will create a new academic
and outreach program on Global Food Security to
train the next generation of change agents to help to reduce hunger on a global
scale.
More
information on these projects is available on the NIFA
website.
Among
past projects, a University of
Tennessee at Martin project created a mobile energy classroom to share
knowledge on traditional and
renewable energy production and conservation. Fort Hays State University is developing curricula to help the next
generation of farm managers, technicians, and crop advisors use small unmanned
aerial systems (sUAS) in precision agriculture
Since
2009, NIFA has invested in and advanced innovative and transformative
initiatives to solve societal challenges and ensure the long-term viability of
agriculture. NIFA's integrated research, education, and extension programs
support the best and brightest scientists and extension personnel whose work
results in user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries that combat childhood
obesity, improve and sustain rural economic growth, address water availability
issues, increase food production, find new sources of energy, mitigate climate
variability, and ensure food safety. To
learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural science, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts, sign up for email updates or follow us on Twitter @usda_NIFA, #NIFAimpacts.
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opportunity lender, provider and employer.
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