Dec 30, 2014 12:08 PM EST By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture will award colleges and universities nearly $17 million to support undergraduate, predoctoral, and postdoctoral fellowship opportunities.

The money, which will be awarded through the federal agency's Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Human Sciences Education and Literacy Initiative, will be used by academic institutions to train and develop the next generation of agricultural scientists.

"[The initiative] will help support the intellectual talent needed to make the nation's challenge in the six challenge area as part of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI): food security, water, climate change, food safety, childhood obesity prevention, and sustainable bioenergy -- as well as the AFRI foundational program," USDA officials said in a news release.

The undergraduate fellowships will promote research and extension experiential learning for undergraduates such that they may enter the agriculture workforce with exceptional skills upon graduation. The experiential learning initiative for undergraduates will provide opportunities for undergraduate students at colleges and universities.

The pre- and postdoctoral fellowships will serve as a conduit for new scientists and professionals to enter research, education, and extension fields within the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. The aim of these fellowships is to cultivate future leaders who are able to address and solve emerging agricultural challenges of the 21st century.

Predoctoral fellowships will provide up to $79,000 for project periods up to two years, including stipend support (up to $20,000 per year), tuition, fees, supplies, travel, and an institutional allowance.

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