The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the second annual Research Prize. The awards program, which comprises two $40,000 grants awarded to faculty-led interdisciplinary teams, is designed to cultivate new ideas and meaningful research that addresses the critical issues of our time.
Greenhouses in El Ejido, Almeria, Spain, 2011. © NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
According to the World Resources Institute, agriculture currently uses almost half of the world’s vegetated land, and agriculture and related land-use change generate one-quarter of the earth’s annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. If we consider that the world population is expected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050, the need to think about how to increase food production in a sustainable and inclusive way while managing and reducing our agricultural footprint is a key global issue. But food is not the only outcome of agriculture. For example, biofuels, plastics, starch, and fibers can all be non-food products with an agricultural origin. Spatially, while people continue to concentrate in cities, the agricultural footprint required to serve their needs extends beyond the city limits into the hinterlands. This footprint has a direct impact on multiple systems, from the economy and transportation infrastructures to climate change, natural habitats, and wildlife biodiversity. The reduction of our agricultural footprint through policies, actions, and plans has the potential to redefine a more sustainable short- and long-term future.
Applications must be received by Monday, December 2, 2019. More details, including eligibility and application requirements, are available on the application page.
