Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced more than $75 million in grants for research, education and extension activities to ensure greater food security in the United States and around the world. The awards were made to teams at 21 US universities to conduct research that will find solutions to increase food availability and decrease the number of food insecure individuals.

The University at Buffalo (UB) is one of the US universities that received this prestigious grant. The focus of the UB- funded initiative (formally titled Building Local Government Capacity to Alleviate Food Deserts) is to build the capacity of local governments to reconnect farmers with underserved consumers.

For the full USDA announcement, visit: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2013news/02271_food_security.html