Colorado State University Interdisciplinary agriculture team joins national sustainability organization

Note to Reporters: A photo of Matthew Wallenstein is availble with this release at news.colostate.edu

FORT COLLINS — Colorado State University’s Innovation Center for Sustainable Agriculture (ICSA) has joined the sustainable agriculture group Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. CSU is one of eight university members of the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance.

Field to Market is a diverse coalition working to create opportunities across the agricultural supply chain for continuous improvements in productivity, environmental quality, and human well-being. As a science-based, multi-stakeholder initiative, Field to Market is composed of a diverse membership of grower organizations; agribusinesses; food, beverage, restaurant and retail companies; conservation groups; universities and public sector partners.

“As a land-grant university, we have a mandate to support human and environmental well-being,” said Matthew Wallenstein, associate professor of ecosystem science and sustainability at CSU and director of ICSA.  “Our participation in Field to Market enables us to contribute our expertise to making a difference in the way food is grown.”

ICSA, an interdisciplinary group helping to feed a growing human population with lower environmental impact, uses the expertise of CSU professors and researchers to accelerate innovation in sustainable agriculture. Their primary research focus is on promoting soil health to support healthy crops.

Wallenstein said the Alliance membership will allow the research group to help develop sustainable agriculture programs that will benefit farmers, consumers, and the environment.

“We will be able to work directly with companies that are interested in supporting sustainable agriculture to identify the best technologies and approaches,” said Wallenstein. “These collaborations will help us translate our scientific expertise into real-world products that help lower the environmental impact of the food you eat.”

ICSA is one of the inaugural research groups formed in 2015 with support from the CSU Office of the Vice President for Research’s Catalyst for Innovative Partnerships program. The CIP program seeks to build innovative multidisciplinary teams that will forge partnerships designed to pursue new opportunities for translating discoveries into practice.

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