NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee State University is joining researchers at other public universities to study sustainable strawberry production.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans are eating more strawberries grown in the United States.

But strawberries are a highly perishable fruit with a short shelf life, and they're sometimes hauled as far as 3,000 miles from farm to market.

TSU will receive nearly $200,000 in funding as part of a more than $2 million grant made recently by the Walmart Foundation for projects that will, among other things, expand where strawberries can be grown, enabling shorter trips for the berries between farm and consumer.

The project will be administered by the University of Arkansas through the National Strawberry Sustainability Initiative.