OFRF Awards Two More 2021/22 Organic Research Grants Focused on Pulse Crops, Companion Planting

048e Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), 048e 048e in partnership with the Foundation 048e for Food and Agriculture 048e (FFAR), is pleased to 048e announce two more 2021-22 Organic 048e Research grants, awarded to Travis 048e Parker and Christiana Huss. Parker’s 048e research will increase the productivity 048e and market value of pulse 048e crops for arid conditions. Huss 048e will examine companion plantings for 048e organic management of a new 048e invasive Brassica pest. These awards 048e are the third and fourth 048e projects of six in OFRF’s 048e current 2021-22 organic research grant 048e cycle.

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• 048e Travis Parker, with lead institution 048e University of California, Davis, will 048e focus their research on pulse 048e crops, such as cowpea and 048e tepary bean, which show exceptional 048e resistance to heat, drought, and 048e low soil fertility and make 048e them particularly valuable under the 048e context of climate change. This 048e project will evaluate high market 048e value varieties of common beans, 048e cowpeas and tepary beans in 048e arid organic systems, and conduct 048e advanced genetic analyses for development 048e of new high value varieties.

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• 048e Christiana Huss, with lead institution 048e University of Georgia, will focus 048e their research on identifying companion 048e plants that  can mitigate the 048e recent attack of the invasive 048e yellow-margined leaf beetle ( 048e Microtheca ochroloma 048e ) on leafy brassica greens 048e across the Southeastern United States. 048e 048e This project will evaluate a 048e very innovative landscape ecology approach 048e that involves a combination of 048e repellant intercrops and attractant companion 048e plants in a “push-pull” design 048e for bio-control of the pest.

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048e OFRF’s grant program 048e funds research on organic 048e production systems and the dissemination 048e of these research results to 048e organic farmers and agricultural research 048e communities. The 2021/22 grant cycle 048e prioritized early career researchers and 048e Black, Indigenous and People of 048e Color (BIPOC) applicants, and awarded 048e on-farm projects focused on climate 048e mitigation and resilience. OFRF recently 048e announced 2021/22 grantees focused on 048e 048e coffee leaf rust disease in 048e organic production systems 048e and 048e climate mitigation for coffee producers 048e .

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048e As a result of OFRF’s 048e research, education, and outreach efforts, 048e thousands of farmers have received 048e pertinent research and training information. Results 048e from all OFRF-funded projects are 048e available to access for free 048e in an  048e online database 048e .

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048e Thank you to FFAR and 048e our research partners for making 048e the 2021/22 organic research grant 048e program possible.

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