Earth BioGenome Project Could Hold Solutions for Agriculture’s Future

April 26, 2018 | USDA

News Release – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is partnering in the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), biology’s version of the moonshot, an effort that will yield millions of powerful new solutions to agriculture’s challenges.

EBP is an international cooperative initiative to sequence during the next 10 years the DNA of more than 1.5 million species—those more complex than bacteria—representing the world’s biodiversity. The initiative was highlighted in a recent Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences article. Read More

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Announces Support for Women and Minorities in STEM

January 29, 2018 | USDA

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced support for research, education, teaching, and extension projects that increase participation by women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Funding is made through NIFA’s Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields (WAMS) Grant Program.

The WAMS program seeks to develop and implement robust collaborations that improve the economic health and viability of rural communities across the nation. Read More

Farm to School Success in Hawaii

November 16, 2017 | USDA

News Release – It takes the right amount of water and sunlight for seeds to grow into a thriving garden. So too, it takes the right mix of factors to integrate local foods into communities. Some of these factors include committed stakeholders, planning, collaboration, and financial resources.

Hawaii offers two successful examples of how federal funds can seed local agencies in the cultivation of their community food system goals. Kona Pacific Public Charter School & Friends of Kona Pacific Public Charter School (Kona Pacific) and The Kohala Center, Inc. (TKC) collaborate to advance their shared goals of improving student and community health, the regional agricultural economy, ecological understanding and a connection to native Hawaiian culture. Read More

USDA Aims to Improve Food and Nutrition Education for Low-Income Communities

November 8, 2017 | USDA

News Release – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced support to develop local and self-reliant food systems, such as farm to table enterprises that bring nutritious food to low-income communities. This funding is available through NIFA’s Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

“This program reaches into neighborhoods across America to improve access to food and nutrition education, assist community outreach, and empower local farms,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “These NIFA investments help communities develop field to fork food systems that provide long-term community solutions.” Read More

USDA Announces More Than $8.6 Million to Support Community Food Projects

September 25, 2017 | USDA

News Release – WASHINGTON, D.C – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced more than $8.6 million in available funding to assist low-income individuals and communities in developing local and self-reliant food systems. This funding is available through NIFA’s Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

“This program is important because it reaches beyond short-term food relief,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “It integrates economic, social, and environmental impacts to form comprehensive solutions to problems across all food system levels.” Read More