Worldwide demands for food increase (population of over 8 billion by 2025) while land and water become increasingly scarce and human health issues rise (e.g., zoonoses avian flu, TB, West Nile virus) and threaten food systems and their sustainability.

CFANS addresses these issues through scholarship ranging from functional genomics in model systems to crop and animal improvement for enhanced production; plant adaptation to climate change; as well as water resources conservation, wildlife conservation medicine and expertise on zoonoses. 

Our intent is to bring together researchers across CFANS, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the College of Biological Sciences to develop viable, competitive, and sustainable food, water and agricultural systems. This collective research spans the spectrum from cells to organisms to agricultural systems to ecosystems, a competitive advantage to adapt complex agricultural systems to changing environmental needs and societal demands. We will build excellence through launching new intellectual clusters and broadening student participation in research and public engagement.