CALS Global is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Global Agricultural Research and Development Network (GARDEN) grants.
Bradley Bolling, Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science and Fritz Friday Chair of Vegetable Processing Research, received funding for his project titled “Developing a Colombian-Wisconsin food and health research partnership”. The objective of this project is to initiate a scholarly exchange with the Universities of Manizales and the University of Caldas in Manizales, Colombia. These universities have distinct agricultural and nutrition-focused programs and research facilities that could enable a productive and impactful research collaboration in food and health. Members of the Bolling research group plan to visit Manizales, Colombia for a scholarly exchange, and tour research and clinical facilities that will be employed in collaborative research partnerships. As a result of this exchange, the team expects to develop new research activities focused on dietary inhibition of chronic inflammation associated with obesity and collecting information and preliminary data for research proposals.
Claudia Irene Calderón, Teaching Faculty in the Department of Horticulture, affiliated with 4W Initiative, the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, the MS Program in Agroecology, and the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program, received funding for her project titled “Pilot program for a ‘Campesino a Campesino’ (farmer to farmer) exchange of agroecological-based practices in Guatemala”. This program will connect producers from Chiquimula (eastern Guatemala) and San Marcos (western Guatemala) with two exchanges consisting of four on-farm demonstrations with each exchange. The first exchange will be held in Chiquimula and led by farmers and will expose guest participants from San Marcos to sustainable practices and entrepreneurial projects including no-till farming, preparation of organic fertilizers, workshop on medicinal plants, and a traditional Maya Ch’orti’ agroforestry practice, kuxur rum. The second exchange will be held in San Marcos and led by producers of Red Kuchub’al and expose guest participants from Chiquimula to apiculture, production and sale of floral teas, jellies, oyster mushrooms, and chocolate led by women entrepreneurs, and management of agroforestry nurseries. In the future, the team hopes to build upon the lessons learned from this pilot project to scale ‘Campesino a Campesino’ exchanges to include other agroecological groups from different regions of Mesoamerica.
GARDEN offers an annual funding opportunity for catalyzing new international projects and partnerships that hold potential for growing our global research network. This is a $5,000 award for CALS faculty and staff, and can be used to support activities such as:
- Research project development or implementation in or with another country
- Support for graduate research at an international institution
- Travel to an international partner institution to collaborate on project development or a grant proposal
- Hosting an international partner or visiting scientist at UW/CALS to strengthen global networking
The next call for GARDEN will be announced in December 2022. For more information, email global@cals.wisc.edu