Santa Cruz, California, USA
November 12, 2015

Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), a non-profit organization working to advance organic agriculture by funding scientific research, announces the availability of its report: “Impacts of OFRF Grants: 2006 – 2014”. The report provides an overview of 106 grants, an investment of nearly $1.5 million focused on major challenge areas for organic farmers, such as pest, disease and weed management.

The report examines the grant program and gives suggestions for moving forward to make the most impactful contributions for organic farming. It will be used to guide future decisions about OFRF grant making.
 
Since its founding in 1989, OFRF has granted over $3 million for 315 research projects. Overall, grant funding has advanced scientific knowledge and improved the practices, ecological sustainability and economic prosperity of organic farming. These successes support OFRF’s goal of researchers and farmers working collaboratively to support the improvement and widespread adoption of organic agriculture.

OFRF grant awards are frequently used to leverage significant additional funding from state and federal agencies. For example, a research project led by Dr. Carol Shennan and Dr. Joji Muramoto at UC Santa Cruz examining organic management of soilborne diseases in strawberry production—initiated with $28,000 in OFRF grants—led to $2.8 in additional funding from the USDA.

Results from OFRF-supported research, which are freely available on the organization’s web site, have added substantially to the body of scientific knowledge guiding modern organic farming practices.

Requests for 2016 Research Grants Now Being Accepted
Applications for research projects on organic farming and food systems are now being accepted. The deadline for proposals is February 8, 2016. OFRF will make funding decisions in March, 2016 and applicants will be notified of these decisions by mid-spring, 2016. 
 
Organic Farming Research Foundation is a non-profit foundation that works to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming systems. OFRF cultivates organic research, education, and federal policies that bring more farmers and acreage into organic production.

Website: http://www.ofrf.org

Published: November 13, 2015