Seeding Solutions encourages the development of unique partnerships that support innovative and transformative research focused on one of our Challenge Areas or AgMission.
FFAR seeks to award approximately ten meritorious applications, prioritizing those projects that emphasize a commitment to cross-sector partnerships.
We provide up to $1 million for each grant. Seeding Solutions grantees must provide matching funds from non-federal sources.
Pre-Applications Due: March 9, 2022
To be considered, applications must address and provide solutions to an intractable problem and/or accelerate innovation within FFAR’s Challenge Areas or AgMission.
- Soil Health: Advanced understanding of what soil health is, how it is measured and how to manage and optimize the sustainable delivery of the ecosystem services which soils provide.
- Sustainable Water Management: Interdisciplinary, model-based research to optimize crop production while minimizing environmental impacts and enhancing terrestrial water supplies through widespread adoption of advanced agricultural practices.
- Next Generation Crops: Advanced breeding methods and development of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance for crops grown in organic and conventional cropping systems to increase farmer profitability and environmental resilience.
- Advanced Animal Systems: Improved animal health, welfare and productivity, antibiotic stewardship and the environment. We particularly encourage research with outcomes relevant to multiple species and/or One Health approaches that incorporate transdisciplinary research relevant to animals, humans and the environment.
- Urban Food Systems: Elucidation of connections between urban food systems and the urban environment, in addition to the connections between rural and urban communities to improve food and nutritional security, human health outcomes, economic opportunities and food system resiliency through transdisciplinary partnerships.
- Health-Agriculture Nexus: Systems-level approaches (both technological and non-technological) aimed at reducing food and nutritional insecurity and improving human health in the United States and worldwide.
- AgMission: Innovative research and integrated data systems to advance knowledge and adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture practices, focusing on co-design with agricultural stakeholders and understanding enabling conditions for systems-level change.
We welcome applications from all domestic and international higher education institutions, non-profit and for-profit organizations and US government-affiliated research agencies.
Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) may apply to the Seeding Solutions program through their home institution or organization.
At FFAR’s discretion, we will award a total of up to $10 million in grants through the 2021 Seeding Solution program. Individual awards will range from $300,000 to $1 million for up to ten awards. All projects must have planned durations ranging between 12 and 60 months. Successful projects will receive annual disbursements.