Tuskegee University News March 17, 2011 Tuskegee part of consortium awarded $9.6M to increase agricultural production Tuskegee University, along with several other educational institutions and companies, received a $9.6 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development to undertake a five-year project working with Banaras Hindu University to increase agricultural production and food security in northern India. The Agricultural Innovation Partnership is being launched by India and USAID under "Feed the Future," the U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative. According to USAID, agricultural development is a proven engine of growth that reduces global hunger and poverty. Other entities involved in the project are: Cornell University, in partnership with the University of Illinois College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences; University of Georgia; Ohio State University; University of California-Davis; John Deere; Tata Chemicals Ltd.; and Sathguru Management Consultants. Gary Robbins, USAID-India Director of Food Security, said that AIP is part of U.S. President Obama's initiative to end global hunger and poverty. "As part of the strategic partnership between the United States and India, both countries have agreed to intensify our collaboration to increase agricultural production, develop efficient marketing systems, and reduce malnutrition for a sustainable and inclusive Evergreen Revolution," Robbins said. The consortium will strengthen the capacity of state agricultural universities by revising university curricula to include important issues such as market-led demand and the potential impact of climate change on agriculture. The consortium will also develop and pilot innovative extension models to improve the expertise of agricultural graduates in their provision of management and agri-technology support to farmers as they move away from subsistence farming. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.