Project Grant 20237044840509

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded a $1,500,000 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Project Grant to Purdue University to accelerate meeting national food loss and waste reduction targets. The 5-year project aims to: 1) establish a baseline measure of food literacy and identify strategies to promote food conservation and reduce household waste; 2) engage young adults in developing a national food loss and waste reduction strategy aligned with the Extension's health...

This $650,000 Project Grant award from the USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program aims to address food waste in small and medium-sized agricultural operations. The project, conducted by North Carolina State University, will quantify the impact of inventory management and high-throughput grading technologies on food waste for growers selling produce through consignment sellers. The key objectives are to: 1) develop systems to quantify produce waste by monitoring packing...

The Ohio State University was awarded a $2,500,000 Project Grant under the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program. The grant supports the development, implementation, and evaluation of a pilot household food waste reduction campaign in three U.S. cities. The key goals are to: 1) identify and refine educational messages and materials for reducing household food waste; 2) conduct and assess pilot campaigns in the three cities; 3) anticipate challenges for a potential national...

Producegood will use a $489,032 three-year Project Grant from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program to deliver fresh surplus produce to food insecure communities in San Diego County, California from June 2023 through May 2026. Leveraging over 4,000 volunteers, Producegood will recover approximately 15 million pounds of produce annually from farms and backyards to supply 80 feeding partners serving thousands...

Farming Hope will use a $800,000 Project Grant award from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Community Food Projects (CFP) program to expand its garden-to-table job training program and community food hub operations in San Francisco, California from June 2023 through May 2027. As a non-profit community development organization, Farming Hope will provide a 12-week paid apprenticeship program where individuals learn culinary and food industry job skills...

This $647,421 Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) will fund research at The Pennsylvania State University from May 1, 2023 to April 30, 2026. The project aims to investigate opportunities to reduce food waste by analyzing the entire value chain for "imperfect foods" - produce that does not meet cosmetic standards due to size, shape or blemishes....

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 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative Agreement award under the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) program (CFDA 10.935) provides $100,000 in funding from June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2026 to the Souhegan Regional Landfill District, a U.S. local government planning commission. The project aims to establish a model for successful food waste diversion and sharing in New Hampshire schools and towns, with a focus on lower socioeconomic and food insecure areas. Key...

This Cooperative Agreement award for $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) program will enable the County of Gallatin, Montana to expand its food waste reduction and composting initiatives. The key products and services to be delivered include: Expanding the county's biosolids composting operation to accept and process up to 40,000 tons of food waste annually, producing high-quality compost for distribution to local...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded a $187,790.41 Project Grant on July 12, 2024 to Cornell Cooperative Extension Schoharie & Otsego Counties (CCESO) under the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (CFDA 10.522). The grant will support CCESO in building the capacity of food-insecure residents and local organizations in rural communities to address food insecurity through food gardening initiatives. Key activities include:...