C-FARE Info

Social Science Research Council and Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership Accepting Applications for Abe Fellowship

The Abe Fellowship is designed to encourage international multidisciplinary research on topics of pressing global concern. The program seeks to foster the development of a new generation of researchers who are interested in policy-relevant topics of long-range importance and who are willing to become key members of a bilateral and global research network built around such topics. Applicants are invited to submit proposals for research in the social sciences and related disciplines relevant to any one or any combination of the program's three themes: traditional and non-traditional approaches to security and diplomacy; global and regional economic issues; and the role of civil society. Research proposals bearing on these themes may address issues related to human security, multilateralism, bilateralism, U.S.-Japan relations, transnational economic relations, the empowerment of peoples and communities, and sustainable development, among others. Application deadline is September 1, 2009.

Social Science Research Council Offers Grants for Collaborative Research on Environment and Health in China

The China Environment and Health Initiative announced a small grants program to stimulate the generation and dissemination of policy and practice-oriented social science research on environment and health in China. The focus of the current round of grants will be on environmental health problems relating to processes of urbanization and urban development, including urban air pollution, urban water quality, urban planning and environmental health, occupational health and safety, and rural-urban migrants.

Grants to Establish RIDGE Centers for Food and Nutrition Research

The Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program announces the recompetition of the grants that fund partner institutions in the Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program. ERS expects to fund two RIDGE Centers for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research beginning in fiscal 2010—one center focusing on food and nutrition assistance research at the national level and the second center targeting specific populations. Application deadline is September 15, 2009.

Administration Announce Key Findings of Food Safety Working Group

On July 7 the Administration announced the key findings of the Food Safety Working Group. The working group was created by President Obama in March to advise the Administration on how to upgrade the food safety system. The USDA press release notes that the Working Group is recommending, "a new, public health-focused approach to food safety based on three core principles: prioritizing prevention; strengthening surveillance and enforcement; and improving response and recovery."

Moving America toward a Clean Energy Economy and Reducing Global Warming Pollution: Legislative Tools.

Today the Senate Environment and Public Works committee held a hearing entitled, “Moving America toward a Clean Energy Economy and Reducing Global Warming Pollution: Legislative Tools.” Their website has the opening statements from witnesses and other information. Witnesses included Secretary Chu (DOE), Administrator Jackson (EPA), Secretary Vilsack (USDA), and Secretary Salazar (Interior) among others.

Manure Use for Fertilizer and for Energy

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 directed the USDA to evaluate the role of animal manure as a source of fertilizer, and its other uses. ERS released this report on June 25. Their announcement states, “about 5 percent of all U.S. cropland is currently fertilized with livestock manure, and corn accounts for over half of the acreage to which manure is applied. Expanded environmental regulation through nutrient management plans will likely lead to wider use of manure on cropland, at higher production costs, but with only modest impacts on production costs, commodity demand, or farm structure. There is widespread interest in using manure as a feedstock for energy production. While current use is quite limited, expanded government support, either direct or indirectly, could lead to a substantial increase in manure use as a feedstock. However, current energy processes are unlikely to compete with fertilizer uses of manure, because they leave fertilizer nutrients as residues, in more marketable form, and because manure-to-energy projects will be most profitable in regions where raw manure is in excess supply, with the least value as fertilizer.”

Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food

On June 25 USDA’s ERS released the report for Congress, “Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food – Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences.” According to ERS, "This report fills a request for a study of food deserts—areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food—from the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. The report summarizes findings of a national-level assessment of the extent and characteristics of food deserts, analysis of the consequences of food deserts, lessons learned from related Federal programs, and a discussion of policy options for alleviating the effects of food deserts. Overall, findings show that a small percentage of consumers are constrained in their ability to access affordable nutritious food because they live far from a supermarket or large grocery store and do not have easy access to transportation."

Agriculture Risk Management Education Program Funds

The Risk Management Education Program provides U.S. agricultural producers with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to make informed risk management decisions for their operations, with the goal of enhancing farm profitability. The program will fund four Regional RME Centers, and a risk management education electronic support center to provide existing risk management tools and the formation of networks that are focused on agricultural producers; further development of agricultural risk management curricula and materials; the delivery of agricultural RME to producers using one or more of the wide range of delivery methods; and the verification of program impacts. Application deadline is August 10, 2009.

June 2009 DatelinERS Newsletter

The DatelinERS newsletter is provided by USDA’s ERS. It offers concise summaries of ERS reports and events. The most recent newsletter was released on June 29.

Senate Hearing on Climate Bill

On July 7 the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold their hearing on “Moving America toward a Clean Energy Economy and Reducing Global Warming Pollution: Legislative Tools.”