FAMU Ag is part of consortium awarded $15m USAID grant to address food insecurity in Africa, Asia and Central America

FAMU, through its Center for International Agricultural Trade Development Research and Training (CIATDRT), will serve as one of the lead institutions on a $15 million U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) grant to help communities struggling with food and food insecurity across the globe.  FAMU, and its partners, will focus their efforts on West Africa, East Africa, South/Southeast Asia and Central America. 
 
The five-year grant, has the potential to grow up to $34.5 million. 
 
FAMU will focus its efforts on helping targeted communities develop sustainable solutions within their horticultural values chains to improve productivity, incomes, and livelihoods, 
said Harriett A. Paul, CIATDRT and International Agriculture programs director for FAMU’s College of Agriculture and Food Sciences (CAFS).

“As we move forward with the project’s implementation, there may be additional opportunities for FAMU faculty members to participate.”

“One of the most important aspects of food safety in the global food supply chains is pest management. As climate changes, economic losses due to insect pests will increase, thus, we will contribute to the implementation of successful integrated pest management strategies for the communities we will serve,” said Lambert Kanga, Ph.D., director of FAMU’s Center for Biological Control, who will serve as lead scientist for Entomology/Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

The consortium consists of: Florida A&M University, Michigan State University, Texas A&M University, UC Davis, and the World Vegetable Center, along with subject matter experts from Penn State University and Making Cents International, to help manage this program.

At the forefront of their research is the development of environmentally sustainable, market-oriented production and post-harvest handling methods that improve income for smallholder farmers and other stakeholders in fruit and vegetable value chains, as well as providing them more access to nourishing fruits and vegetables.