A project led by the University has secured £5m over four years to help improve food and water security for people in sub-Saharan Africa.
The money, from Research Councils UK (RCUK), is part of wider funding from one of the most ambitious international research programmes ever created.
Leading experts from the UK, and in developing countries across the world, are joining forces to tackle some of the most serious global challenges.
£225m has been invested across 37 interdisciplinary projects to address challenges in fields such as: health, humanitarian crises, conflict, the environment, the economy, domestic violence, society, and technology.
The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Research Councils UK Collective Fund is supporting these latest projects with awards of between £2m to £8m.
The Southampton project, ‘Building research capacity for sustainable water and food security in drylands of sub-Saharan Africa’ is led by Professor Justin Sheffield of Geography and Environment. It will connect scientists from Kenya, Ghana and Malawi with each other and UK researchers, to help set in motion water and food research projects aimed at benefitting the region.
Professor Sheffield said:
“Subsistence farmers across Africa rely on rainwater for their crops, so it is vital not only for drinking and food production, but also as a crucial part of the economy. As a fragile and precious resource, we want to collaborate with institutes in the region to help ensure its future supply.”
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