Malawi’s Lower Shire Valley is changing. Over 14 years, the Shire Valley Transformation Program will turn 42,500 hectares (over 105,000 acres) into irrigated farmland, giving nearly 50,000 smallholder farmers a real chance at building prosperity and generational wealth.

Literacy rates in Sub-Saharan Africa remain low, despite increased primary school enrollment. In rural Mozambique, only 3% of children possess grade-level reading skills. Poor learning outcomes in lower grades are a barrier to further expanding school enrollment at higher grade levels.

A long trusted resource for corn belt farmers developed at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has expanded its portfolio to provide in-person and online targeted professional development to agricultural professionals worldwide. 

Faculty from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences are teaming up with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) on groundbreaking projects to tackle climate change and drive the future of the bioeconomy.  

The three selected projects from a competitive open call for proposals are: 

A new program initiated by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Study Abroad Office will expand and enhance the college’s portfolio of short-term faculty-led study abroad programs for undergraduate students. 

“Through this program, we are creating and supporting a community of faculty and staff who are working to develop exciting and unique international opportunities for our students that will be available as part of our curriculum as early as winter break 2025,” said Ali Freter, Director of ACES Study Abroad.

Four College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) faculty members have been awarded funding to establish or support an international collaboration as part of the longstanding ACES International Seed Grant Program.

The internal grant program, coordinated by the Office of International Programs, accepts applications each semester and awards grants to projects that show the most potential to build sustained, impactful international engagements. 

In February, the USAID-funded Feed the Future Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was told to stop work, bringing an abrupt end to 12 years of progress toward developing a global soybean value chain supporting Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia.

Two College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) affiliates who are inspiring examples of using the opportunities presented by our global campus are being honored as 2025 Illinois International Achievement recipients. 

These prestigious annual awards recognize outstanding University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni, faculty, and students whose exceptional work or service has made a significant, global impact.

An international sabbatical promotes professional and personal development and can increase an individual’s value to the university, as demonstrated by several College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) faculty who have pursued such opportunities to study and conduct research in a foreign country. 

The College of ACES supports its faculty taking an international sabbatical in line with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign guidelines and for the purpose of acquiring additional knowledge and competency in their respective fields.