USAID Awards $24 Million for Integrated Pest Management, Sustainable Agriculture Research
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
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2004-092
October 13, 2004
Contact: USAID Press Office
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced two $12 million awards to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) for applied research in integrated pest management and sustainable agriculture/natural resources management.
Virginia Tech won the awards in a competitive process. The $12 million grants, awarded Sept. 30, will each fund five years of research and education. In addition, USAID missions overseas can put up to $5 million of additional funding into each award.
The two awards are for Collaborative Research Support Programs (CRSPs). Nine such agricultural research programs, based in U.S. universities, train, mentor and collaborate with scientists in developing countries.
In the Integrated Pest Management Program, researchers work with farmers to manage pests through both non-chemical approaches, such as crop management or introduction of natural predators, and use of pesticides when necessary. Integrated pest management helps protect the environment, conserve biodiversity, and reduce threats to human health by minimizing the use of synthetic chemicals. And by producing a higher value crop, it can raise farmers' incomes.
The Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Program develops methods for farmers, communities, and countries to better manage natural resources, such as soil, water, forests, and biodiversity, while sustaining agricultural productivity.
"The Collaborative Research Support Programs allow USAID to tap into the expertise of the U.S. land grant universities. The competitive process enables the Agency to get the greatest impact from its investment," said Emmy Simmons, Assistant Administrator for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade.
A secondary goal of the program is to help groom a new generation of agricultural educators and researchers abroad. Students are trained and mentored in the United States and often continue collaboration with the host research institution on their return home.
The grants will be managed by the Office of Natural Resource Management in USAID's Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade (EGAT).
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
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