Seven Food, Nutrition Security Projects to Receive NSF Funding

The National Science Foundation has allocated $35 million in research funding to seven teams advancing agricultural technologies and improving food and nutrition security.

Among the selected projects is CropSmart, an artificial intelligence and machine learning-enabled digital twin project led by George Mason University designed to provide on-demand, decision-ready solutions for users’ cropping goals using end-user devices. Solutions created by CropSmart are derived from near-real-time remote observations of cropping systems.

Funding will also be allocated to Cultivate IQ, an AI data transformation platform initiative led by the University of Arkansas designed to integrate sales and production data from the farm-to-market supply chain. Cultivate IQ helps suppliers plan and manage regional food supplies.

NOURISH, funded by the US Department of Agriculture and led by the University of California in San Francisco, is another AI-enabled platform enabling small businesses to provide fresh food to people living in areas where fresh food is hard to come by.

The projects were selected for the second phase of the Convergence Accelerator’s Track J: Food & Nutrition Security program, the NSF said.

The foundation has been keen on funding emerging technology-related projects over recent months.

In November, the NSF allocated $16.3 million in funding to several colleges and universities pursuing efforts to expand AI research capacity. In August, the NSF pledged $29 million in investments to 18 research teams pursuing quantum sensor technologies and their potential applications.