UF gets $8.7M grant to improve food supply in Africa

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida has received an $8.7 million grant aimed at research that will reduce hunger in Africa.

The school said the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will fund hunger research over five years at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

The researchers will focus on developing healthier feed for livestock used by poor farmers in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, and creating more environmentally friendly farming methods.

Director of the UF/IFAS Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems Adegbola Adesogan says improving the quality of livestock through better feed can help increase the quality and quantity of the food produced.

The research also will focus on reducing chronic disease in the region for children under the age of 2 by limiting exposure to chicken droppings.