![\"\u00a9\u00a0University](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/sustainable-agriculture\/files\/2017\/08\/cocoapodWEB734120_47822.jpg?resize=300%2C199\")
Helping North Africa become self-sufficient for protein needs, and reusing by-products of cocoa production in South East Asia are just some of the research projects that have received Government funding to tackle global challenges.<\/p>\nHelping North Africa become self-sufficient for protein needs, and reusing by-products of cocoa production in South East Asia are just some of the research projects that have received Government funding to tackle global challenges.<\/p>\n
The work to address food sustainability, being investigated across departments including\u00a0Food and Nutritional Sciences<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Agriculture, Policy and Development<\/a>\u00a0at the University of Reading<\/a>, has received almost \u00a31m of grant funding from the\u00a0Global Challenges Research Fund<\/a>\u00a0(GCRF). The funding is provided by the UK Government and distributed by Research Councils.<\/p>\n Welcoming the new funding, Professor Steve Mithen<\/a>, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, said: \u201cThe success we have achieved in funding through the Global Challenges Research Fund shows how the University of Reading is tackling some of the biggest issues facing our world.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom feeding the world to tackling global health, our researchers are helping to make the world a better place for all.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the projects that received \u00a3383,300 of funding is looking at using cocoa pod husks that are left over from production in Indonesia in other ways, including producing functional fibrous materials for use in bakery and confectionary products and biodegradable food packaging.<\/p>\n “This funding is important in allowing these great strides forward to be made, both for individual countries and the whole planet\u201d – Dr Dimitris Charalampopoulos<\/a>, University of Reading<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Dr Dimitris Charalampopoulos, a food scientist from the University of Reading, said: \u201cThis is exciting research that will make cocoa production more sustainable and help improve economic conditions and farmers\u2019 wellbeing in Indonesia. This funding is important in allowing these great strides forward to be made, both for individual countries and the whole planet.\u201d<\/p>\n Research helping North Africa become self-sufficient for protein has also been funded with \u00a3573,116 from the Global Challenges Research Fund. The research tackles the devastating losses caused in North Africa by the parasitic weed broomrape, by developing faba bean varieties which are resistant to the parasite.<\/p>\n\n