Project Grant 050105818

The federal Project Grant award of $750,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program supports the "E-GROW" project. This 4-year project, led by Cornell University, aims to develop youth interest and competency in agricultural technology (AgTech) for food production in controlled environment agriculture (CEA). The project will pilot a CEA certificate program at 10 middle and high schools in several states, reaching an...

This $400,000 federal Project Grant was awarded on September 15, 2023 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program (CFDA 10.223). The grant supports Hartnell Community College District in Salinas, California in creating and scaling the Salinas Valley Ag/Tech Academy, which will establish an agricultural mechatronics technology pipeline from high school through an associate's degree...

This $730,000 Project Grant from the Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (CFDA 84.116) supports Arkansas Tech University in enhancing and modernizing its agricultural learning laboratories. The award, effective June 1, 2023 through May 31, 2026, will enable the university to improve its postsecondary instructional facilities and expand educational opportunities in the agricultural sciences. As the prime grantee, Arkansas Tech University will use the...

This federal Project Grant award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program provides $500,000 to Texas State University to improve first-year agricultural mechanics teachers' competency, self-efficacy, and retention, as well as prepare secondary agricultural education students to fill the skills gap in the agricultural mechanics workforce. The project will achieve these objectives through the Curriculum for...

This federal Project Grant award, valued at $500,000.00, was provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310). The primary awardee, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech), will use the funding to establish the "Agricultural Education: An Experiential & Data-Driven Approach (ADVANCE)" program. This initiative aims to integrate unmanned aircraft systems...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded a 3-year, $749,873 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) project grant to Colorado State University to deliver a transformative micro-credentialing program that trains high school and college students in advanced agricultural technologies. The program will integrate self-paced online learning with hands-on training using custom IoT sensor kits and real-world field demonstrations to teach students how to leverage data science and AI to...

This $16.4 million Economic Development Administration Project Grant supports the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation Coalition's efforts to drive agriculture innovation in California's Central Valley. Led by the Central Valley Community Foundation, the Coalition will launch iCreate, a new ag-tech hub to accelerate technology development and transfer between researchers at local universities and farmers. Community colleges in the region will also gain access to new technology and training to...

This $2,952,700 project grant from the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration's Economic Adjustment Assistance program will support the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation Coalition in driving agriculture innovation in California's Central Valley. Led by the Central Valley Community Foundation, the Coalition will launch iCreate, a new ag-tech hub focused on accelerating technology development and transfer between researchers at local universities and farmers across the...

This $20.6 million project grant from the Department of Commerce Economic Adjustment Assistance (CFDA 11.307) program supports driving agricultural innovation in California's Central Valley. Awarded on October 1, 2022 to the University of California Office of the President with completion by September 30, 2026, the grant establishes iCreate, an ag-tech hub to accelerate technology transfer between researchers and farmers. It also provides community colleges access to new technology and...

This four-year, $749,576 Project Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (CFDA 10.310 - Agriculture and Food Research Initiative) supports the "Agricultural Career Exploration with Drones" (ACED) integrated project. The ACED project aims to develop and engage youth interest, skills, and motivations in precision agriculture technologies, including drones, GIS mapping, and related STEM fields. Key activities include: forming an...