WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of $18.9 million in competitive grants to support fellowships and other higher education training projects in food, nutrition, natural resources and agriculture fields. These fellowships are administered through USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and will support pre- and post-doctoral fellowships, undergraduate fellowships, and professional development for secondary school teachers and educational professionals.
"Highly motivated, talented and creative workers in the food, agriculture and natural resources fields will only become more valuable on a global scale as we face a growing population and tougher climate obstacles in the next few decades," said Vilsack. "Investing in innovation and growing a strong knowledge base now is critical to bolstering food security, health, and economic viability for the next generation."
Grants are available through NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Education and Literacy Initiative. Past AFRI Education and Literacy Initiative fellowships include an assessment by Virginia Commonwealth University of how climate change influences population dynamics of agricultural and forest insect pests; research at the University of Wisconsin to identify traits governing bacterial population in freshwater lakes; work by the University of California-Berkeley to give farmers and land managers a framework for restoring hedgerows to stabilize pollinator communities; and more.