Project Grant NC16308R1

This Project Grant award for $615,319 from the Department of Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) program supports the development of an autonomous "bio-cell" farming system to address the decline in U.S. tomato production. Key project objectives are to: 1) Develop engineering technologies for plant phenotyping, monitoring, and autonomous task performance; 2) Integrate advanced data analytics methods to guide decision-making and communication of...

The City of Deerfield Beach, Florida received a $300,000 cooperative agreement award from the USDA National Resources Conservation Service under the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production federal grant program (CFDA 10.935). The funding will support the city's efforts to encourage and promote urban agricultural practices through April 2025. Specifically, the cooperative agreement will enable the development of community gardens and farms located in urban areas, as well as the exploration of...

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service awarded $299,990 to Corporacion Juvenil Para El Desarrollo De Comunidades Sostenibles through the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production federal grant program (CFDA #10.935) to develop viable and sustainable enterprises through educational training and technical support workshops. The project grant will enable new and beginning farmers, ranchers, students, and other community members in Puerto Rico to increase income and...

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded a $650,000 Project Grant to Agrofocal Technologies, Inc. under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program (CFDA 10.212). The funding supports the development of Agrofocal's real-time crop monitoring system that can be mounted on any vehicle to provide high-resolution, under-the-canopy images of crops. This system enables farmers to monitor crop health,...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded a $200,000 Food for Progress Project Grant to Partners of the Americas, Inc. to implement agricultural development activities in developing countries. The grant, awarded on January 16, 2024, will support technical assistance, training, research, and capacity building initiatives focused on improving agricultural productivity and expanding agricultural trade. Key activities include those related to climate-smart agriculture, trade-enabling...

The Department of Agriculture's National Resources Conservation Service awarded a $298,813 Project Grant to Agroecology Commons on March 17, 2023 to support urban agriculture and innovative production initiatives through March 31, 2026. Under the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production federal grant program (CFDA #10.935), Agroecology Commons will encourage and promote urban, indoor, and emerging agricultural practices in California, including community gardens and farms located in urban...

This $748,140 federal Project Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (CFDA 10.311 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program) supports the development of a national holistic agritourism training toolbox, professional development for agritourism service providers, and an agritourism community of practice. The primary goal is to empower underserved beginning farmers and ranchers to implement sustainable agritourism diversification...

The Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service awarded a $999,997 Project Grant to Purdue University through the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas program (CFDA 10.782). The two-year grant will support Purdue University's VALUE-ADDED AGRICULTURE PRODUCT MARKET DEVELOPMENT GRANTS - AG INNOVATION CNTR initiative, which provides technical assistance and educational resources to farmers, agricultural businesses, and community food organizations in Indiana. The grant funds will...

The Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service awarded a $262,266 Project Grant to Habesha Inc. under the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production federal grant program (CFDA 10.935). The grant will support Habesha's efforts to accelerate existing and emerging models of urban, indoor, and other agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers or gardeners. Specifically, funding will be used to encourage and promote urban, indoor, and emerging agricultural practices...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) awarded a $727,981 project grant to New Mexico State University (NMSU) to develop advanced technologies for robot-enabled smart, sustainable, and eco-friendly farming. The key objectives are to establish a team of cooperative robots with high autonomy to perform various agricultural tasks during planting, cultivation, and harvesting to enhance productivity and address challenges like water scarcity and...