In observance of Earth Day (April 22), we share work being done by Maria Jones, associate director of the ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss, and Samantha Lindgren, assistant professor in the Department of Education and affiliated faculty member in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and the Technology Entrepreneurship Center in the Grainger College of Engineering.

By Sam Lindgren, Ghaida Alrawashdeh, and Maria Jones

Three faculty from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) have received funding to further their international work through the longstanding ACES International Seed Grant program.

Animal scientists, economists, and colleagues from the humanities and other fields met on the University of Illinois campus in April to focus on livestock in the tropics and its role in food security. 

The event marked the Seventh Annual International Food Security Symposium at Illinois facilitated by the Office of International Programs (OIP) in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).

Over the past few decades, it has become obvious that climate change, and consequent extreme weather events, can wreak havoc on crop yields. Concerningly, there is a large disparity in agricultural vulnerability between developed and developing countries. In a new study, researchers have looked at major food grains in India to understand the long- and short-term effects of climate change on crop yields.

Through the innovative Global Food Security Interns program, selected undergraduates in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) have the opportunity to work with faculty mentors on specific projects towards global food and nutrition security in low- and middle-income countries.

Four faculty from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) have received funding to further their international work through the longstanding ACES International Seed Grant program.

Selected farmers in the United States Corn Belt will participate in the U.S.-German Forum on the Future of Agriculture, a unique transatlantic dialogue starting in spring 2023.

URBANA, Ill. – Changing weather patterns have profound impacts on agricultural production around the world. Higher temperatures, severe drought, and other weather events may decrease output in some regions but effects are often volatile and unpredictable. Yet, many countries rely on agricultural and food trade to help alleviate the consequences of local, weather-induced production shifts, a new paper from the University of Illinois suggests.

URBANA, Ill. – Many maize farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa sell their crop at harvest, often because they need funds to pay expenses. Development agencies often support or sponsor harvest-time loans that encourage farmers to store some of their grain for later sale, on an assumption that its market value will increase in months to come. But that’s not a sure bet, as a new University of Illinois study reveals.

To further the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) collaborations with colleagues in Brazil towards a shared goal of food security, the Office of International Programs hosted distinguished visitors from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) in October.