OCIA Research and Education (OCIA R&E) has announced the winners of this year’s scholarships, as well as the first of two rounds of microgrant recipients.
Ben Weiss and Michelle Carkner were the recipients of this year’s scholarships. Each year, OCIA R&E awards $1,000 scholarships to students at the graduate level engaged in research about sustainable and organic agriculture.
Weiss is a master’s student at Washington State University, where he works with hydromulching. His current research, “Biodegradable Composite Hydromulches for Sustainable Organic Horticulture,” examines the potential for utilizing biodegradable hydromulches as an alternative to traditional plastic-based weed suppression tactics. Carkner is a Ph.D. student at the University of Manitoba. Her work focuses on stabilizing yields across organic farms located in prairie ecosystems.
Marc Delaney of Delany Farms in Syracuse, NY, and Melissa DeSa with Working Food in Gainesville, FL, are the first recipients of 2024 microgrants. OCIA R&E awards microgrants typically ranging from $500-$3,000 on a biannual basis to people engaging in research or education activities related to organic agriculture.
Delaney’s project encompassed partnering with Peace Inc. to host a new program called “Farmer for a Day” for the children of Syracuse, New York. The “Farmer for a Day” program invited 50 children from Peace Inc. to visit Delaney Farms and experience what it is like to be a farmer and learn gardening practices they can share with members of their communities. DeSa’s research included utilizing a community-based plant breeding approach to crossing the feral and resilient Everglades tomato with a dwarf variety, Tanunda Red.
For more information about OCIA R&E’s scholarship and grant opportunities, visit https://ocia.org/research-education/.