Cornell University and World Coffee Research, backed by funding from USAID, are rolling out a new program focused on improving the resilience and productivity of coffee smallholder growers worldwide.
This renewed funding will enable the Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement to strengthen its interdisciplinary efforts to support demand-driven, socially responsive crop improvement programs in key regions around the world.
For undergraduate would-be entrepreneurs, this competition encourages examining micro- or macro-level problems and envisioning ways to fix them via innovative business ventures.
The project will compare smallholder apple farms in the Western Himalayas and in Central New York to study how people might act collectively to promote wild pollinator health.
While supporting research through its nine farms and 127,000 square feet of greenhouses, Cornell AES facilities are also used as a unique teaching environment for two dozen Cornell undergraduate courses.
The program introduces powerful tools for data visualization and analysis, helping to strengthen research capacity in plant breeding programs around the world.
