The U.S. Department of Agriculture has nearly $19 million available in competitive grants to support fellowships and other higher education training projects in food, nutrition, natural resources and agriculture fields. These fellowships are administered through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and will support pre- and post-doctoral fellowships, undergraduate fellowships, and professional development for secondary school teachers and educational professionals.<\/p>\n
\u201cHighly motivated, talented and creative workers in the food, agriculture and natural resources fields will only become more valuable on a global scale as we face a growing population and tougher climate obstacles in the next few decades,\u201d said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. \u201cInvesting in innovation and growing a strong knowledge base now is critical to bolstering food security, health, and economic viability for the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grants are available through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Education and Literacy Initiative.<\/p>\n
Fellowships must fall within one of six challenge areas identified by AFRI: childhood obesity prevention, climate change, food safety, food security, sustainable bioenergy and water.<\/p>\n
Webinars for more information about these grants are available on the NIFA website.<\/p>\n
Applications for pre- and post-doctoral fellowships are due February 11, wguke applications for undergraduate fellowships are due March 24.<\/p>\n
Grants for colleges and universities to develop training programs for secondary school teachers and education professionals, such as counselors and administrators, are due March 18.<\/p>\n