Skip to Content
  • University of Georgia

Innovation Lab on Livestock Systems hiring deputy director

May 29, 2018

The Livestock Systems Innovation Lab based at the University of Florida is looking for a new deputy director to serve in a 12-month, fixed term appointment.

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems, which is funded through USAID and Bill & Melinda Gates, aims to improve livestock production in eight countries in order to improve the nutrition, health, livelihoods and incomes of the poor. The Livestock Systems Innovation Lab manages and supports research projects in three broad geographic regions: East Africa (Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda), West Africa (Burkina Faso and Niger), and Asia (Cambodia and Nepal) in Feed the Future countries. (more…)

Intake looking to develop metrics for diet quality

May 24, 2018

Intake, a Center for Dietary Assessment established in 2017 with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has announced a Request for Concept Notes for the development and validation of novel metrics of diet quality for non-pregnant, non-lactating women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries.

The full Request for Concept Notes is available on the procurement page for Intake. (more…)

USAID issues call for new $30 million Food Safety Innovation Lab

May 24, 2018

The U.S. Agency for International Development has issued a call for applicants to manage the new Feed the Future Innovation Lab on Food Safety (FSIL).

The new program, which must be administered by a U.S. college or universities, involves up to $30 million in funds.

In defining their technical approach, applicants will identify Research Areas of Inquiry that will guide the development, selection, and management of a focused portfolio of research.  (more…)

Project offers PhD scholarships to African students to research mycotoxins

May 17, 2018

The LEAP-Agri research project MycoSafe-South has three PhD scholarships available for African students to study and conduct research on mycotoxins in Belgium and Kenya.

“European-African partnership for safe and efficient use of mycotoxin-mitigation strategies in sub-Saharan Africa” intends to harness the expertise and infrastructure available in Europe by strengthening the capacity of the Southern partners to tackle the mycotoxin problem and the associated food safety issues. The project will identify safe and efficient mitigation strategies to reduce aflatoxins (AFs) and fumonisins (FBs) exposure in Africa, with special focus on children.

The consortium creates opportunities for young PhD researchers to conduct this research at both European and African institutes. Three current projects begin 1 September at the latest. They are, in summary: (more…)

USAID calls for Innovation in Nutrition concepts

May 8, 2018

USAID has released the Nutrition Innovations in Complex Environments Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). This $2 milion BAA reflects a collaborative effort across USAID’s Bureau for Food Security (BFS), the Bureau for Global Health (GH), and the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance’s (DCHA) Office of Food For Peace (FFP), in coordination with the Eleanor Crook Foundation (ECF) and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).  (more…)

Peanut Vision talks up peanut benefits – including global food security

Apr 12, 2018

The National Peanut Board recently launched The Peanut Vision site to highlight all the ways peanuts benefit people and agriculture.

The National Peanut Board has launched an engaging, informative new website that tout all the ways peanuts are valuable to our environment, health and communities.

The Peanut Vision: Sustainable, Nutritious, Global Food Source  sums up the power of peanuts in one statement: “Peanuts are positioned to meet the challenges of a growing world.”

While 85% of the world’s water supply goes to agriculture, the peanut plant produces food with a fraction of the water that tree nuts require, the site points out. (An ounce of peanuts requires 4.7 gallons of water, while almonds and walnuts need more than 70 gallons).

Consuming peanuts can help to maintain a healthy weight and decrease the risk of Type 2 diabetes, according to multiple studies. (Frequent peanut consumption could reduce the right of death from heart disease by 29%.) (more…)

Peanut IL tweaks concept note requirements

Apr 9, 2018

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Peanut has dropped a request that project proposals initially explain how they will use outputs from commissioned projects, since the details of those commissioned projects are not yet available. Originally, the Request for Proposals encouraged scientists to explain how proposed projects would utilize the outputs from commissioned projects. Given that the commissioned projects are not yet approved, scientists will not be required to explain that connection in concept notes.

Check out the story on the Peanut Innovation Lab website.