The University of Georgia will lead the new Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Peanut, a U.S. Department of State program that brings together U.S. and international scientists to make peanut farming more productive, profitable and safe.

The award is for up to five years, with an initial obligation of $9 million for the first year funded through a cooperative agreement with the State Department’s Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response.

“This new lab lets us put the best of U.S. peanut science to work with partners abroad, turning advances in genomics, breeding, technology, quality and safety into better, safer peanuts and stronger markets for farmers in America and around the world,” said Scott Jackson, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and Peanut Innovation Lab director.

From genome to market, closing a major global peanut productivity gap

The Peanut Innovation Lab will advance U.S. leadership in peanut research, training and market development to enhance global food security while delivering tangible benefits to American agriculture, industry and national security.

Peanut, or “groundnut” as it is called in many countries, is a $1+ billion U.S. farm gate value crop and a critical staple for global food security and nutrition. However, global yields average roughly 62% below U.S. levels and are constrained by disease and pest pressure, drought, poor seed and grain quality, and weak market linkages — particularly in developing countries where peanuts are a source of both food and income.

“Peanuts are a highly nutritious and healthy crop consumed in many forms — important in the daily nutrition of millions of people around the world — and critical to address severe malnutrition in children,” said David Hoisington, Peanut Innovation Lab co-director. “It’s also a multiuse crop serving as a source of income, improving soil health and even providing animal feed.”

Research spanning the entire peanut value chain

Peanut Innovation Lab researchers will develop improved, climate-resilient and high-quality peanut varieties and test advanced peanut lines across a regional network in Africa using artificial intelligence, remote sensing and modern genomics to speed up breeding.

Beyond breeding new varieties, the team will work to improve production practices, improve postharvest quality, expand small-scale mechanization and strengthen seed systems and markets.

By leveraging Georgia’s deep expertise in peanut research, breeding and production, the Peanut Innovation Lab will strengthen the state’s position as a global center for agricultural innovation while generating new opportunities for U.S. exports, equipping researchers and students with international experience and helping protect American growers from emerging pest and disease threats.

The project will also expand workforce development, with a commitment to training more than 100 U.S. and international researchers and students through graduate education, exchanges, internships and technical training programs.

The lab is a partnership among UGA and Texas A&M, Texas Tech, New Mexico State University, University of Florida, North Carolina State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Frank’s Designs for Peanuts, IEH-JLA Laboratories, and partners in Africa and Asia.

“We are grateful for the support of the U.S. Department of State,” said CAES Dean and Director Nick. T. Place. “The new Peanut Innovation Lab will help advance research that sustainably increases peanut productivity, quality and utilization in target countries, strengthening food security, nutrition and economic outcomes while supporting U.S. agricultural interests and opening new market opportunities.”