Posted on February, 12, 2025 at 07:52 pm
The Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL), part of the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Feed the Future program aimed at addressing hunger and poverty around the world, will close its doors on April 15, according to its director.
Peter Goldsmith, director and principal investigator of the lab located on the University of Illinois (U of I) campus, said in a Feb. 7 social media post the lab is closing because USAID funding has ceased.
As part of its initiative to reduce what it deems to be wasteful government spending, the Trump administration abruptly shuttered USAID’s headquarters in Washington, DC, last week and announced that it would place nearly all direct hires on administrative leave. However, on Feb. 7, Judge Carl Nichols, an appointee of President Donald Trump, temporarily halted the administration’s plans regarding USAID. Nichols is due to hear arguments on Feb. 12 on a request from the employee groups to block the move.
“Today I had to let go of a staff of 30,” said Goldsmith, a longtime U of I professor. “These individuals are not only unique experts in the field of tropical soybean, but also close colleagues and friends who are now unexpectedly out of work.”
Goldsmith said the impact of the lab’s closure will be felt worldwide.
“The land grant system now loses 19 crown jewel Innovation Labs, across 17 states, that delivered high and measurable impact on very little investment,” he said. “US soybean farmers lose one of their best tools to expand their markets and US standards globally. Local economies in emerging markets lose soybean as an incomparable engine growing wealth, prosperity and economic development.”
According to the lab’s website, SIL’s goal is to give researchers, non-governmental organizations and the private sector information and technology needed to advance soybean development in Africa. The lab has more than 100 soybean experts from 24 countries.
“International security is a loser, as local populations now fall back into poverty, unrest, and migration, due to greater food insecurity,” Goldsmith said. “US influence loses as Innovation Labs operate on the ground in direct collaboration with hundreds of local businesses, organizations, and governments building strong and lasting friendships. Today we all lose. It is a shame. Innovation labs like SIL are an investment for good on so many levels.”
Other universities that contribute to the U of I lab, which opened in 2013, include Iowa State University, Mississippi State University and the University of Missouri.
Goldsmith, who has requested a federal review of the funding cut hoping the decision will be overturned, said 18 other labs in 17 countries included in the innovation network also will be affected by the cut.
Source: World Grain