We’ve arrived at the 10th year that CSANR has held a competitive process to select seed projects under the BIOAg Grant Program. This year’s selections bring us to a total of 91 funded project proposals, standard and integrated. The program is one key way that the Center achieves its goal of incubating research and educational activities that advance the sustainability of agriculture in the state. In addition, the program has supported a number of graduate students who have and will pursue careers in academia, industry and community leadership with a focus on sustainability.
As with most years, this year’s funding awards are extremely diverse. Projects include both research and extension, and range from basic laboratory science to applied projects managed cooperatively in farmers’ fields. The projects cover everything from nitrogen fixation to drought management; from pest control and pollinators to malting, distilling, and brewing. The diversity and creativity of the funded projects is a reflection on the incredible diversity and creativity that we see on a daily basis in Washington’s food and agriculture community.
Listed below is a table of investigators and project titles for this year’s selections. Follow the links to learn more about each project. You can also visit our grants database to learn about what has happened in past BIOAg projects. To date, this relatively modest investment of University resources has enabled WSU faculty and partners to leverage significant additional support to advance research and educational projects that improve the environment, increase farm profitability, and improve the human sustainability of agriculture and the food system.