CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 11/16/16

UGA's Sustainable Food Systems Initiative awards third round of fellowships

By Merritt Melancon

The University of Georgia Sustainable Food Systems Initiative has awarded three interdisciplinary teams of faculty with the initiative’s third round of Sustainable Food Systems Fellowships.

In 2013, faculty representing several UGA colleges launched the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, which recognizes that many of the problems facing the intersection of agricultural and natural ecology require interdisciplinary solutions.

“One of the grand challenges facing humanity over the next 50 years is increasing the security and resiliency of the food systems,” said Liz Kramer, director of the Natural Resources Spatial Analysis Laboratory and of the Sustainable Food System Initiative. “Building sustainable food production, processing and distribution systems will require integrating a wide range of environmental, economic and social issues.”

These fellowships, which will be given to graduate students beginning in fall 2017, will be paid for by a grant from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This is the second NIFA grant that the initiative has received to fund its fellowships. Six master’s degree students have benefited from this program since 2013.

The initiative’s goal is to set up a collaborative framework to enable interdepartmental faculty to collaborate on questions of agricultural production, energy, water, the environment, economics, health, nutrition and social justice.

This year, the selection committee has selected three projects for funding:

  • Robert Bringolf, Warnell School of Forestry associate professor, and Nick Fuhrman, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences assistant professor, will develop a resource program for teaching farmers about sustainable aquaponics systems.
  • Chad Paton, College of Family and Consumer Sciences assistant professor, and Dave Hoisington, senior research scientist and director of the UGA-housed U.S. Feed the Future Peanut and Mycotoxin Innovation Lab, will investigate improving agricultural production methods of increasing vitamin A intake in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Janani Rajbhandari-Thapa and Donglan Zhan, assistant professors in the College of Public Health’s Department of Health Policy and Management, and Melissa Hallow, assistant professor in the College of Engineering and CPH’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, will investigate and model the interaction between consumer behavior and food supply and how that relationship can help support a healthy and sustainable food system in Georgia.

“Since we received the initial grant that set up the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, we have seen some very successful research projects and some very talented graduate students,” Kramer said. “I believe these projects are proving that the possibilities that come with collaborative research are worth leaving our silos and finding like-minded scientists across campus.”

The current NIFA grant will also help launch a new graduate certificate in Sustainable Food Systems, which is pending approval. The certificate will be housed in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

“We hope to use the certificate to expand interdisciplinary training in sustainable food systems beyond the fellowships and our monthly seminar series,” Kramer added. “In addition, we hope these new programs will help us to reach non-traditional and underrepresented students to explore new areas of interdisciplinary research.

For more information about UGA’s Sustainable Food Systems Initiative and past projects, visit http://sustainablefoodsystems.uga.edu.

Merritt Melancon, a public relations manager for the UGA Terry College of Business, previously served as a public relations coordinator for the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA Extension.

Authors:
Merritt Melancon
Experts/Sources:
Liz Kramer
A graduate student from the second cohort of UGA's Sustainable Food System Initiative fellowship program presents his research at a year-end symposium in April.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
CAES doctoral students Sofia Varriano and Leniha Lagarde follow farmer Clay Brady to the pasture where many of his chickens are kept. CAES News
UGA researchers study how free-range chickens influence farm sustainability 10/31/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Researchers in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are studying how pastured and free-range chickens impact ecosystems on integrated crop-livestock farms. Supported by a $749,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, entomology doctoral student Sofia Varriano and her thesis advisor, agroecologist and systems biology Professor Bill Snyder, are testing the promise of integrated crop-livestock agriculture to increase the sustainability of smaller farms.
Kaytlyn Cobb is now spearheading a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm as regional assistant director. CAES News
Kaytlyn Cobb joins UGA Grand Farm to boost agricultural innovation in Georgia 10/30/24 Sean Montgomery
Growing up in north Georgia’s Franklin County, Kaytlyn Cobb knew her aspirations in agriculture would always lead her to new opportunities. Inspired by her dedicated community and diverse background, Cobb is now spearheading a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm as regional assistant director. Hired in August, Cobb hit the ground running to continue development of the fast-forming ecosystem between Grand Farm, the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and global strategic partners.
Kevan Lamm teaching undergraduate students CAES News
CAES researchers prepare students to address complex challenges of the future 10/29/24 Emily Cabrera
Over the next three years, researchers in the University of Georgia’s Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication aim to transform undergraduate education in agricultural and environmental sciences by integrating systems thinking — an approach that encourages students to see the bigger picture by understanding how different components within a system interact.
Thermal imaging technology could improve the production of fruits and vegetables. CAES News
Thermal imaging may help fruits, veggies stay fresher longer 10/28/24 Savannah Peat
Before your favorite produce arrives at the grocery store, it must be carefully harvested and maintained across long stretches of time. A recent University of Georgia review suggests new temperature measuring technologies could make that process much simpler, amid growing agricultural challenges fueled by fluctuating climates. Maintaining temperature, humidity and light is critical to ensuring fruits and vegetables don’t spoil or deteriorate rapidly. Temperature spikes are the root of adverse outcomes, so monitoring these changes quickly and accurately is key.
Ropes course at Georgia 4-H camp CAES News
Campers create lasting memories of summer at Georgia's 4-H centers 10/07/24 Josie Smith
By the end of his first week at 4-H summer camp, fifth grader Cooper Hardy already had many memories of new and exciting experiences. “That was the first time I got in a canoe,” Hardy said. “It was a big deal for me.” Now, 10 years later, Hardy serves as a Georgia 4-H camp counselor at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Georgia. It’s a dream he’s held since the first time he set foot on the sprawling, wooded 1,500-acre campus as a camper.
Krysta Harden CAES News
D.W. Brooks lecturer brings policy expertise to address future of agriculture 10/03/24 Claire Sanders Kinnard
Krysta Harden, former United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and current president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, will be the speaker for the 2024 D.W. Brooks Lecture and Awards, an annual event hosted by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. From her parents’ farm in Camilla, Georgia, all the way to Capitol Hill, Harden has been a strong advocate for agriculture.