To provide critical support for the most promising and impactful research and solutions to advance organic agriculture, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research(link is external) (FFAR) and The Organic Center(link is external) (TOC) today announced five awards totaling $632,000 to advance organic farming. The awards fund much-needed training, technical support, and innovative climate research. These projects increase farmer access to knowledge and resources, with an emphasis on historically underserved communities.
"Organic farming is complex and nuanced work that requires innovative, collaborative solutions. The Organic Center and these prize recipients are taking steps to make organic farming practices more accessible and equitable, so farmers have the tools they need to combat climate change," said Dr. LaKisha Odom(link is external), FFAR scientific program director.
Organic farming is a critical part of addressing climate change. Organic farming uses techniques that sequester carbon in the soil and does not rely on fossil fuel-intensive synthetic inputs to manage pests or increase soil fertility. However, researchers have yet to fully understand specific strategies organic growers can adopt to mitigate climate change while effectively managing the negative effects climate change is having on their farms through drought, flooding, invasive pests, and extreme weather events.
To address this knowledge gap, TOC and FFAR partnered on two funding opportunities, the Organic Training for Agricultural Professionals Prize(link is external) and the 2023 Organic Center-FFAR joint Organic Research Program(link is external).
The Prize recognizes extraordinary contributions to training farmers, agriculture professionals, and community organizations in organic production. In selecting the 2023 prize winners, TOC and FFAR prioritized projects that increased organic agriculture by training farmers in organic practices and creating access for farmers to agronomical professionals. Recipients were also selected based on their ability to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion among participants. TOC and FFAR further focused on projects that included measurable knowledge exchange between farmers and organic agriculture professionals. Prize winners secured matching funds.
The Research Program awards grants, up to $200,000 per project that focus on organic techniques for improving mitigation and resiliency to climate change. The Research Program grants focus on systems-based approaches and demonstrate a commitment to cross-sector collaboration. TOC and FFAR selected projects that serve the public good by making data open and accessible to the public and include under-represented farmers.
"This year, we received a large number of highly competitive proposals and were thrilled to see such innovative solutions that top candidates proposed for impactful research that will build farm reliance and outreach methods that will meet a wide range of audiences," said Dr. Amber Sciligo, Director of Science Programs at The Organic Center.
Click here to check out the winners