Diet is a key contributorin many chronic diseases and conditions

Southern University Agricultural & Mechanical College (SUAREC) received a $1.68M project grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Centers of Excellence at 1890 Institutions Program (CFDA 10.523), effective September 15, 2025, through September 14, 2028. This award establishes a multistate Center of Excellence for Nutrition, Health, Wellness, and Quality of Life in partnership with North Carolina A&T State University and Tuskegee University to address diet-related health disparities in Louisiana, North Carolina, and Alabama—three states ranking among the nation's most obese. The center integrates NIFA's tripartite land-grant mission of research, teaching, and extension to strengthen institutional capacity in these critical areas.

The center will deliver three core products and services: (1) enhanced research capacity focused on food intake and nutritional/health outcomes across the 1890 institution network; (2) strengthened and innovative food and nutrition educational and instructional strategies for students at participating institutions; and (3) multi-state community-focused training and extension programs providing food and nutrition outreach to address obesity and related chronic diseases. These coordinated activities leverage the complementary strengths of the three collaborating historically Black land-grant institutions to improve health outcomes and combat nutrition-related health disparities in underserved communities.

Communities have trusted the 1890 institutions for more than a century, therefore, they can play important roles in assisting communities to combat diet-related disparities especially obesity and its related chronic diseases. Establishing an 1890 center of excellence (COE) for nutrition, health, wellness, and quality of life is very timely and will strengthen 1890 institution's capacities in research, teaching, and extension to address diet-related health disparities. Louisiana, north carolina, and alabama are among the top 10 most obese states inadults. Southern university and a & M college, north carolina a & T state university, and tuskegee university have complementary strengths in research, teaching, and extension, and are in a unique position to work as a team to establish a COE, which is on the tripartite land-grant mission of research, teaching, and extension to improve the health and well-being ofpopulations. The primary goal of this COE is to increase the capacities of 1890 institutions to address health disparity through nutrition research, teaching, and extension. The specific objectives are: 1) research: to enhance the research capacity at 1890 institutions focusing on food intake and nutritional/health outcomes, 2) teaching: to strengthen and advance innovative food and nutrition educational and instructional strategies for students at 1890 institutions, and 3) extension: to provide training and education to communities through multi-state food and innovative nutrition outreach programs.