The NCAA Basketball Tournament begins this week, but for the second year, it's madness of a different sort as U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences is back with its Bracket Buffet tournament.

In addition to a fun, interactive food challenge bracket, this year the college is partnering with the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry to request donations to help assist those in need who are part of the campus community.

Bumpers College's Munch Madness is a tournament full of select food qualifiers. Everyone is welcome to participate in voting for their favorite dishes in head-to-head matchups leading to the Final Feast and ultimately the Dominant Dish.

Foods are divided into four regions: proteins, carbs/grains, vegetables and desserts, but just like the NCAA version, the Bracket Buffet begins with a mini opening round, the First Course appetizer round.

Throughout the tournament, a Food Pantry drop-off bin will be available in Bumpers College's Waldrip Student Center in Agri Building 205 and in the atrium of the AFLS Building. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to drop off any item, and in return, pick up a limited edition 2024 Munch Madness sticker.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Arkansas has the highest level of food insecurity in the nation, and there's a need on campus. The pantry serves an average of 300-500 unique clients each month. It reaches 9.250 houshold members annually. Graduate students accounted for 54.35% of all visits between August and December, and during that time period, international students accounted for 1,354 visits.

Primary needs of the pantry include:

• Canned meat (chicken, tuna, Vienna sausage, etc.)
• Granola bars
• Oatmeal
• Pasta
• Broth
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Beans and other proteins

The pantry also accepts monetary donations. Anyone donating is asked to add "Munch Madness" to the comments section at the bottom of the gift page.

Addressing food insecurity is a major emphasis area for faculty members in Bumpers College, many who are researchers and scientists with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

AAES researchers are at the forefront of the fight against hunger, addressing food security in Arkansas and abroad.

Fruit breeder Margaret Worthington and the Fruit Breeding Program are developing new, adaptable, high-quality varieties of crops, like the Sweet-Ark® Immaculate blackberry and Ozark Mango™. Plant pathologist Ioannis Tzanetakis is working with the world's most populous country to potentially increase yield by as much as 500% in some crops. Agricultural economist Trey Malone co-authored an analysis of the 2022 baby formula crisis to help guide future policy decisions to ensure infant nutrition security.

A study on micronutrient deficiency in Tanzania by ag economist Brandon McFadden provided recommendations to increase nutrition in the African country. Griffiths Atungulu in food science is improving the post-harvest process of removing moisture from rice without breaking the kernals, which results in decreased value of almost 60%. Food science's Kristen Gibson was awarded a $206,108 grant to develop new food safety guidance for produce growers. Gibson is also part of a $5 million grant with Malone to help develop an AI-driven platform to help plan and manage regional food supplies.

Munch Madness voting on individual matchups takes place on the college's Instagram and Twitter accounts (@BumpersCollege) on the following dates:

• March 18: First Course Appetizer Round (one winner, does not advance to main bracket)
• March 19-20: First Round
• March 21-22: Second Round
• Third Round: March 25-26
• Fourth Round/Final Feast: March 27
• Dominant Dish: March 28 (winning food item)

Voting for each round will be enabled as polls for each individual matchup for 24-hour periods.

A full bracket, which will be updated with winning vote totals following each round, is available on the Bumpers College homepage.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.