This $606,668 federal project grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) program. The grant will be used by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to develop an improved understanding of labor supply and demand in the bivalve shellfish aquaculture industry, provide practical productivity tools for the industry, and inform policy actions to address labor constraints. Key objectives include quantifying industry labor demand, costs of labor shortages, and producers' willingness to invest in labor-saving technologies. The grant will also fund the development of a productivity benchmarking software tool for industry use, as well as extensive outreach to communicate findings on labor issues and potential solutions. By improving understanding of labor constraints and solutions, this 3-year project aims to facilitate sustained growth of the U.S. shellfish aquaculture sector.
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