{"links":{"self":"http://dataportal.arc.gov.au/NCGP/API/grants/DE260101582"},"data":{"type":"grant-details","id":"DE260101582","attributes":{"code":"DE260101582","administering-organisation":"The University of Queensland","announcement-administering-organisation":"The University of Queensland","scheme-name":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","grant-status":"Active","funding-commencement-year":2026,"years-funded":3,"project-start-date":"2026-01-01","anticipated-end-date":"2028-12-31","grant-summary":"Cultivating food security through local mineral supply chains. This project is the first global study to examine the intersections between mineral security and food security. Over half of the 1.1 billion people who are multidimensionally poor engage in subsistence farming without access to fertilisers, and >150 million of these people rely on artisanal and small-scale mining for livelihoods. The project aims to investigate the potential for local agricultural mineral supply chains to supplement reliance on imported fertilisers and address food insecurity. By exploring the coincidence of mineral fertiliser inaccessibility and food insecurity, the research could offer alternative pathways for poverty reduction, promote self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on declining Official Development Assistance.","funding-current":515872.00,"funding-at-announcement":511679,"investigators-current":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Fitsum","familyName":"Weldegiorgis","roleName":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","roleCode":"DECRA","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0003-0580-1010 "}],"investigators-at-announcement":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Fitsum","familyName":"Weldegiorgis","roleName":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","roleCode":"DECRA","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0003-0580-1010 "}],"organisations-current":[{"organisationName":"The University of Queensland","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"QLD"}],"organisations-at-announcement":[{"organisationName":"The University of Queensland","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"QLD"}],"field-of-research":[{"isPrimary":false,"code":"300606","name":"Food Sustainability","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"370508","name":"Resource Geoscience","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":true,"code":"4404","name":"Development Studies","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"440405","name":"Poverty, Inclusivity and Wellbeing","type":"FOR20"}],"socio-economic-objective":[{"code":"230302","name":"International Aid and Development","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"250199","name":"Environmentally Sustainable Mineral Resource Activities Not Elsewhere Classified","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"280101","name":"Expanding Knowledge In the Agricultural, Food and Veterinary Sciences","type":"SEO20"}],"international-collaboration":["Ethiopia","Fiji","Kenya","Malawi","Southern and East Africa, nec","Uganda","Zimbabwe"],"lief-register":[],"achievement-summary":null,"national-interest-test-statement":"Poverty remains a persistent global challenge, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the Pacific, where >half of the world’s 1.1 billion multidimensionally poor people reside. Australia contributes $4.9 billion in annual aid for agricultural innovation, food aid, crisis response, and other support. However, the decline in Australia’s aid to SSA from $443 million in 2011/12 to $148 million in 2022/23, alongside the potential closure of USAID (representing 20% of global development aid), highlights the urgency for self-sufficiency in the Global South to tackle food insecurity. This project pioneers mineral security as a poverty alleviation strategy, an innovative approach yet untested in global development programs. By investigating how locally sourced agricultural minerals can strengthen fertiliser self-sufficiency and agricultural productivity in SSA and the Pacific, the research aims to advance Australia’s strategic priorities:\n1.\tReducing food insecurity mitigates displacement pressures and fosters economic resilience in the Pacific.\n2.\tPositioning Australia as a thought leader in SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 1 (No Poverty) through cost-effective, community-driven solutions.\n3.\tStrengthening ties with resource-rich nations, creating future opportunities for Australian expertise in mining and agritech.\nThe research aims to inform aid programming strategies, scale mineral-based fertiliser models, and enhance Australia’s reputation as an innovative development partner.\n"}}}