FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Fresher strawberries for consumers and an economic boost for local farmers throughout the country is the aim of a $3 million donation made recently by the Walmart Foundation to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
The donation will go to the Division’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability, or CARS. The center will create and manage a national competitive grants program, awarding money from the donation to land-grant and other public universities with agricultural research and outreach programs with projects that will, among other things, expand where strawberries can be grown, enabling shorter trips for the berries between farm and consumer.
CARS is composed of faculty from multiple disciplines and focuses on enhancing economic, social and ecological prosperity for rural communities around the world. Established in 2007, CARS’ work includes developing tools for farmers in the U.S. and around the world that can predict greenhouse gas impacts in livestock operations, researching and teaching production methods that improve water quality and quantity, and enabling farms to provide healthy and safe produce.
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