Project Grant 20237044040161

The US Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded Barry University, Inc. a $4.5 million project grant under the "From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals" program. The grant will fund Barry University's Craft Scholars Program to recruit, retain, and train 30 undergraduate and 5 graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds for careers in food and agriculture.

Key deliverables include scholarships, seminars, field trips, 20 paid summer internships, and study abroad opportunities to increase awareness of agricultural careers and pathways to USDA employment. Experiential learning projects with urban farming nonprofit Urban Greenworks will demonstrate the environmental and health impacts of changing food systems. Partnerships with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences will provide faculty exchanges and opportunities for Craft Scholars at a major land-grant institution. The five-year program aims to diversify the future food and agriculture workforce through targeted outreach, academic supports, and skills-building experiences for disadvantaged students at Barry University, a Hispanic-serving institution.