Office of Research

Research Facilities Act Program
2023-07-07
The purpose of the Research Facilities Act Program (RFAP) is to assist qualifying institutions with the costs related to constructing, purchasing, updating, renovating, or modifying agricultural research buildings to conduct research in the areas of agriculture and food sciences. The proposed agricultural research facility must expand the institution’s capacity for long-term impactful research and must be the result of thorough strategic planning. Awards may be used to fund the construction of buildings or sites for agricultural research facilities or other facilities that store agricultural research experimental samples or specimens, as well as the purchase of real estate or durable equipment. Activities might include, but are not limited to:

Evaluating infrastructure and sites
Conceptual planning and design for a newly constructed, restored, or rebuilt structure or place
Creating construction plans and schematics for the facility or site that is being built, restored, or rebuilt.
Building, restoring, or remodeling a facility or location.
Investing in and putting in permanent equipment for research monitoring and safeguarding samples and specimens.
Investing in and putting in essential building systems like electricity, climate control, security, life safety, lighting, utilities, telecommunications, and energy management.

AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems
2023-07-13 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Applications to the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative – Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) Request for Applications (RFA) must focus on approaches that promote transformational changes in the U.S. food and agriculture system. NIFA seeks creative and visionary applications that take a systems approach for projects are expected to significantly improve the supply of affordable, safe, nutritious, and accessible agricultural products, while fostering economic development and rural prosperity in America. These approaches must demonstrate current needs and anticipate future social, cultural, behavioral, economic, health, and environmental impacts. Additionally, the outcomes of the work being proposed should result in societal benefits, including promotion of rural prosperity and enhancement of quality of life for all those involved in food and agricultural value chains from production to utilization and consumption. See AFRI SAS RFA for details.
This RFA has two program area priorities, each with different eligibility requirements. A9201 invites only integrated project (must include research, education, and extension) applications with limited eligibility. A9211 invites only research project applications with wide eligibility. Please see Part III, A. of this AFRI SAS RFA for more specific eligibility requirements for project types. Applications in each program area priority from ineligible institutions will not be reviewed.

AFRI - FAS Food and Human Health (A1343)
2023-08-10
Program Area Priority: NIFA requests proposals that use culturally and contextually appropriate approaches, where applicable, to investigate the interrelationships of foods, or components of foods, and their impact on the gut microbiota to improve human health. Project results should inform precision nutrition or personalized dietary needs particularly for historically underrepresented populations. Project results should complement our nation’s dietary pattern recommendations to prevent, reduce, or control chronic diseases.
Applicants must address at least one of the following:
a. Investigate the interrelationship of foods, or components of foods; and gut microbiota on human health; and/or;
b. Research on functional outcomes of the interrelationship between toxic elements, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury and human microbiome; and/or;
c. Investigate relationship of food contaminants and the human gut microbiota; and/or
d. Determine the structure and functional outcomes of metabolites of gut microbiome and foods, or food components and/or contaminants.

AFRI - FAS Animal Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics (A1201)
2023-08-10
Program Area Priority:
a. Animal genomics research priorities over the next decade were identified from stakeholder inputs and were compiled in the report: “Genome to Phenome: Improving Animal Health, Production, and Well-Being: A new USDA Blueprint for Animal Genome Research 2018 – 2027” in Frontier in Genetics. Proposals that align with the animal genome blueprint goals are highly welcome to submit to this program area or other program areas within the RFA based on the best alignment with program area priority goals. Any target area identified in the USDA Animal Genome Blueprint that aligns with the program area priorities listed are eligible to be considered for funding.
b. Novel quantitative genetic methods including selection theory and modeling, implementing selection methods that use a systems approach using a combination of genomics, epigenomics, functional genomics, and microbiome data for simultaneous improvement of multiple traits.
c. Development of national and regional breeding strategies to address biotic and abiotic stresses (including climate and/or environmental extremes), greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, genetic diversity, germplasm storage and characterization, or genome modifications.
d. Development of new phenotypes for improving selection criteria and/or development of high-throughput methods for on-farm recording of traits.
e. Exploring alternatives to control inbreeding, exploit crossbreeding, conduct selection experiments, or develop novel breeding programs aimed at improving performance, welfare, or health of agricultural animals.
f. Animal Breeding Research Coordination Network (RCN) that build and coordinate public-private research and development efforts for major food and animal species. The Network must address a grand challenge (e.g., food and nutrition security, boosting farm income, climate smart agriculture, creating more and better market opportunities for producers and consumers) using collaborative state-of-the-art science and technical platforms that fill critical science and knowledge gaps to deliver innovation for commercialization across a broad U.S. agricultural sector. The RCN priority areas must address bottlenecks to animal productivity and address the priorities in the USDA Animal Genome Blueprint.

AFRI - FAS Diseases of Agricultural Animals (A1221)
2023-08-10
Program Area Priority: Application topics may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:
a. Cellular, molecular, genomic/genetic or whole-animal aspects of animal health and disease, with emphasis on maintaining healthy agricultural animals to ensure a safe and adequate food supply.
b. Maintenance of homeostasis including innate immune responses.
c. Disease prevention and control, including vaccinology; reverse vaccinology; breeding for disease resistance; animal and farm management (including precision animal health management), and diagnostics. NOTE: Diagnostics for transboundary/foreign and emerging/re-emerging diseases should be submitted to the Agricultural Biosecurity program area priority (A1181). For all diagnostic tests, applicants must provide a validation plan.
d. Therapeutic interventions for disease reduction or treatment, including alternatives to antibiotics and minor use animal drugs.
e. Immune Reagents for Agricultural Animals. Development of publicly-accessible, reasonably-priced immunological reagents for Ruminants, Swine, Equine, Aquaculture (major focus on catfish and salmonids) or Poultry. Reagents should be applicable to the study of more than one disease and fill gaps where research is hindered due to a significant lack of critical reagents. Clearly outline how you will connect with stakeholders and partners to determine the U.S. immunology communities’ highest priority needs.

AFRI - FAS Welfare of Agricultural Animals (A1251)
2023-08-10
Program Area Priority: Evaluation (which should include assessment of animal welfare) of current animal agriculture (including aquaculture) production practices and/or development of new or enhanced management approaches that safeguard both animal welfare and adaption to climate change, including but not limited to:

Advance objective measures of animal welfare, including the use of emerging methods and metrics for assessment (e.g., functional genomics; epidemiology; automated, noninvasive methods) for outcome based (health and behavior) welfare assessment criteria.
Alternatives or improvements for painful management procedures; euthanasia and slaughter methods to decrease pain and distress; handling and transportation to decrease injury and distress (including thermal stress);
Understanding the effect of the microbiome on animal welfare;
Selection methods or experiments for improved robustness, behavior, and/or social effects, including those that may be impacted by climate change (such as thermal stress); or
Development of innovative alternatives to replace or reduce the use of animals in 36 agricultural research.

AFRI - FAS Animal Nutrition, Growth and Lactation (A1231)
2023-08-10
Program Area Priority: Cellular, molecular, genomic/genetic or whole-animal aspects of nutrition, growth and lactation, especially focusing on:

Nutrient utilization and efficiency, this may include influence and impact of the gastrointestinal microbiome and/or mitigation of enteric methane and other greenhouse gases;
Innovative approaches to feed formulation or use of novel alternative feedstuffs, especially those that may contribute to reducing emission of methane and other greenhouse gases;
Improving the quality and efficiency of producing meat, milk, eggs, fish, and animal fiber; or
Metabolic disorders and nutritional deficiencies affecting production of meat, milk, eggs, fish, and animal fiber.

AFRI - FAS Animal Reproduction (A1211)
2023-08-10
Program Area Priority: Cellular, molecular, genomic/genetic or whole-animal aspects of animal reproduction relevant to improving reproductive efficiency or enhancing reproductive management, including mitigating reductions in fertility that are exacerbated by climate change, especially focusing on:

Gonadal function (including production, function, and preservation of gametes);
Hypothalamic-pituitary axis;
Embryonic and fetal development (including interaction between the conceptus and its uterine environment); or
Microbiome of the reproductive tract.

AFRI - FAS Small and Medium-Sized Farms (A1601)
2023-08-17
Program Area Priority: This program area priority focuses on the development and/or adoption of new models to assist agricultural (farm, forest, or ranch) landowner/manager decision making with respect to appropriate scale management strategies and technologies to enhance economic efficiency and sustainability, including the viability and competitiveness of small and medium-sized dairy, poultry, livestock, crop, forestry, aquaculture, and other operations. The scope of this program area priority includes, but is not limited to projects that:

Advance the production, profitability and post-harvest handling of specialty crops including high value-niche market crops such as hemp (if approved in your state), medicinal, aromatic, and essential oils.
Develop effective strategies to aid in the development of research, education and extension/outreach programs to meet the needs of underserved small and medium-sized farmers and ranchers.
examine the impacts of COVID-19 on small farm profitability, especially related to new costs related to direct delivery models, new markets and changing demand.
Identify and develop affordable small farm appropriate digital agriculture tools that improve production, labor management and farm profitability.
Outreach efforts that create opportunities for entry and farm viability for young, beginning, historically disadvantaged, veteran, or immigrant farmers and ranchers. Such efforts should address issues such as farm succession, transition, entry, and profitability through tools that ensure that the next generation of small and medium-sized farmers has access to the information and resources they need to operate their farms on a sustainable and profitable basis.
Examine the varying forms of land tenure, including issues related to heir property, especially among aging and beginning farmers, and identify the opportunities and obstacles to land access and land transfer for younger farmers.
The feasibility of small to mid-scale processing for fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen fruits and vegetables, value added processing for institutional buyers, or small-scale meat processing. Such efforts could also include direct to consumer markets. h. Develop effective strategies and tools to assist small and medium-sized forest/woodland owners in managing and sustaining their timberland.
Research and develop effective strategies and tools to assist small and medium-sized farmers in making decisions about participating in livestock (including aquaculture) or crop production contracts.
Research and develop effective strategies to aid in the development of efficient local and regional food systems.
Evaluate and implement strategies to enhance access to markets by small and mediumsized farms.
Research and outreach efforts that develop new tools to ensure that the next generation of small and medium-sized farmers have access to the information and resources they need to operate their farms on a sustainable and profitable basis.
Examine the challenges of small and medium-sized farms to increase profitability, sustain farming as a livelihood, and transition to the next generation. Efforts could address issues such as production diversification and sustainability; barriers to markets and effects of social media; farmer savings behavior, financial decision-making and retirement; farm family resource allocation; and intrafamily succession.
Develop strategies to address climate change with climate smart agriculture, food and forestry solutions including, but not limited to conservation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and other environmental concerns.
Projects that expand access on crop and animal production systems with an emphasis on historically underserved farmers where applicable are welcome.
Projects using indigenous traditional ecological knowledge are appropriate for this program area priority.

AFRI - FAS Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products (A1103)
2023-08-17
Program Area Priority: The Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products program supports projects to study the biosynthesis of plant-derived, high-value biomolecules for use in foods, pharmaceuticals, and other products. Projects must focus on agriculturally-important plants, but the choice of plant species must be justified. Molecular, biochemical, synthetic biology, or eco-physiological approaches may be used to determine the biosynthetic pathways for industrially-important biomolecules. The intent of this program is for results to be translated into discoveries that help create or meet emerging and future markets and contribute towards long-term demand for agricultural-based products.
Applications must address one or more of the following (order does not indicate importance):

Primary and/or secondary metabolic pathways regulating the biosynthesis of plant metabolites that improve the quality of food and/or feed;
Biosynthetic pathways of metabolites with herbicidal or pesticidal activities;
Improving the production (biosynthesis) of plant-based chemicals that have industrial and/or pharmaceutical relevance; or
Macronutrient and/or micronutrient biosynthesis, accumulation, and/or availability that are beneficial to human health and nutrition.

AFRI - FAS Diet, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (A1344)
2023-08-24
Program Area Priority: NIFA requests proposals for integrated projects that help prevent and control chronic disease equitably across the lifecycle by supporting and encouraging culturally relevant, healthy dietary choices through data-driven, flexible, customer-focused approaches.
Applicants must address at least one of the following and at least one Program Area Priority Approach:
a. Develop, implement, and evaluate innovative research, educational, and outreach strategies to improve eating patterns that prevent and control diet-related chronic diseases;
b. Investigate, assess, and recommend food and nutrition research and program interventions with the goal to achieve food and nutrition security, improve and sustain health; or
c. Improve food security and nutritional health outcomes for racial/ethnic minority populations, underserved populations, rural, or remote populations through an evidence based approach to healthy eating and active living.

AFRI - FAS Food Safety and Defense (A1332)
2023-08-24
Program Area Priority: NIFA requests proposals for basic and applied research that will reduce the risk of intentional or unintentional contamination of foods.
Applications must address one or more of the following (order does not indicate importance):
a. Develop microbiological methods for enumerating enteric pathogens, specifically Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), in large representative food samples designed to represent a food production lot;
b. Develop microbiological procedures designed to alleviate the need for enrichment in the detection of very small numbers of pathogens in large food samples collected to represent a food production lot;
c. Develop methods for identifying, detecting, and/or enumerating pathogens of relatively high public health risk including persistence or virulence;
d. Develop and validate advanced and innovative technologies or processes for food processing, manufacturing, packaging, cleaning, and sanitation to effectively reduce the presence of surviving enteric pathogens in food and processing facilities;
e. Develop preharvest or postharvest methods to detect, reduce, and/or mitigate microbial pathogens, allergens, physical hazards, or toxic chemicals in foods, such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, PFAS, or emerging chemicals of concern such as micro- and nanoplastics) in foods, including specific reference to culturally and contextually appropriate approaches (such as Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge);
f. Develop methods to identify, prevent, or reduce intentional contamination or adulteration of foods; or
g. Develop and validate novel strategies for the effective control of persistent reservoirs of foodborne pathogens.

AFRI - FAS Pollinator Health: Research and Application (A1113)
2023-08-24
Program Area Priority: The Pollinator Health: Research and Application program supports single-function projects (research, extension or education) with the goal of promoting healthy populations of animal pollinators in agricultural systems where reliance of crops on pollinators for pollination services is increasing and where declines of pollinators is evident. The declining health of pollinator populations poses a serious risk to crops that depend on pollinators for the production of marketable commodities and could ultimately impact the nation’s food security. Several factors are significantly impacting the health of pollinator populations, including pests, diseases, pesticides, pollutants or toxins, nutritional deficits; climate change, agricultural production intensification, and habitat loss; reduced species or genetic diversity; and pollinator or crop management practices. Recent research also indicates that changes in bee gut microbial communities could have effects on nutritional health, disease resistance, or susceptibility to pesticides. However, the mechanisms that underlie these effects on pollinator health need further research. Studies involving ecological, behavioral, genomic, physiological, biophysical, sociological, and/or economic approaches will be considered for funding. Targeted multi-year monitoring of selected species in the context of research is also appropriate. Projects using indigenous traditional ecological knowledge are appropriate for this program area priority.
Applications must address one or more of the following (order does not indicate importance):

Factors that influence the abundance, diversity and health of pollinators. Examples may include biotic, abiotic as well as social, cultural or economic phenomena.
Functions of the microbiome associated with pollinators and their role in promoting healthy populations.
Development and evaluation of innovative tools and management practices that would likely be adopted by stakeholders to ensure healthy pollinators. Examples include, but are not limited to, innovative genetic/genomic and breeding tools, diagnostic techniques, other cutting-edge technologies, alternative chemicals or biologically-based strategies to combat varroa mites or key bee diseases.
Development, implementation and/or evaluation of management practices of other crop pests/diseases that also ensure protection of pollinators and other beneficial species (e.g., integrated pest and pollinator management). Engagement of extension leaders with one or more types of stakeholders (crop producers, consultants, agribusinesses, non-profit organizations, land managers, beekeepers or others managing native pollinators) is strongly recommended. Experience working with stakeholders to overcome barriers to adoption of integrated pest and pollinator management practices is recommended. Letters of support or collaboration with stakeholders should be included in the application.
Education-only that target K-14 level students to advance learning about pollinators in agricultural and associated landscapes. Non-exhaustive examples of educational approaches include curriculum development, experiential learning projects, learning opportunities that increase scientific knowledge, or other creative projects related to pollinators.
Extension only projects that include informal training, workshops or demonstration projects related to pollinators in agriculture and associated systems.

AFRI - FAS Physiology of Agricultural Plants (A1152)
2023-08-24
Program Area Priority: The Physiology of Agricultural Plants program will support projects to improve productivity or other performance factors of agriculturally-important plants (including weeds) using molecular, biochemical, whole-plant, agronomic, or eco-physiological approaches. The genetic basis of important traits identified through these studies are expected to translate into plant varieties with improved yield or product quality, or growth resilience to adverse environmental conditions including those associated with climate change.
This program area priority will support research in the following areas:

Plant growth and developmental processes, including plant architecture, carbon assimilation, and source-sink relationships;
Mechanisms of plant response to abiotic stresses, including increased water use efficiency; or
Nutrient uptake, assimilation, and/or utilization, particularly increased plant use efficiency for nitrogen, phosphorus, or other supplemental nutrients.

AFRI - FAS Sustainable Bioeconomy through Biobased Products (A1414)
2023-09-07
Program Area Priority: This program area priority focuses on developing biomass systems, and producing biobased products or biomass generated power to enable the bioeconomy, and in a manner, which reduces adverse impacts to the environment. The sustainable bioeconomy encompasses the development of bio-based products that promote human health, economic prosperity, energy security, ecosystem resources, and mitigation of climate change. The development of bio-based products can complement existing agricultural production systems and industrialized processes by creating opportunities to improve overall system profitability and productivity. Development of biomass systems also can entail development of co-products (e.g., lignin, biochar, etc.) so that circular economies are supported. Projects should address one or more of the following (order does not indicate importance):
a. New and/or improved strategies to develop bio-based products that improve product functionality, increase potential revenues and/or reduce cost over incumbent products; this includes addressing supply chain challenges for the production systems for feedstock/germplasm improvement, product formulation or end-user market demand;
b. Strategies and approaches for scalable biomass systems that provide beneficial ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, improved water availability and quality, improved life cycle emissions, nutrient use reduction, or wildlife and pollinator habitat 62 enhancements; and
c. Strategies to alleviate technical, and economic barriers leading to adoption resulting in improved consumer attitudes toward the bioeconomy and strengthening the rural economy through development of new bioproducts and employment opportunities.

AFRI - FAS Water Quantity and Quality (A1411)
2023-09-07
Program Area Priority: The U.S. is committed to the proper management of agricultural practices and improved efficiency of agricultural water uses to protect water quality and increase water and food security, and improve resilience of agricultural and forest ecosystems to climate change (U.S. Global Water Strategy, 2017). USDA-NIFA will provide competitive support to improve water science, management and technologies, water conservation and water use efficiency; promote common data exchange formats and access to data for decision-making, improve forecasting and model water related systems, and promote technology adoption and behavior change by producers, land managers, and decision makers. Practically, USDA-NIFA seeks applications to:
a. Reduce the freshwater demand (both groundwater and surface water) for irrigation and the nutrient demand for maximum crop production by substituting the use of other technologies, management practices and/or other water sources (recycled wastewater, brackish groundwater, agricultural return flow and produced water from industry) while retaining appropriate soil health (managed salinity, adequate infiltration, proper application and use of soil amendments, such as fertilizers, manure and biochar) and eliminating accelerated erosion from farm fields, and;
b. Protect water quality of surface and groundwater systems through improved nutrient management, improved pesticide management, and reduced nutrient pesticide, pathogen, and contaminants of environmental concern (CEC) loads to surface or groundwater.

AFRI - FAS Rural Economic Development (A1661)
2023-09-14
Program Area Priority: This program area priority supports rigorous theoretical and empirical efforts to create and examine innovative approaches for advancing economic opportunities for rural entrepreneurs and communities, with an aim to promote rural prosperity and well-being. The intent of the program area priority is to improve the understanding of the factors and conditions that enhance economic opportunities for food, agricultural and rural businesses through tools and methods from the various social sciences, (i.e., sociology, demography, economics, geography, etc.). Studies that focus on women, and ethnic and/or racial minority groups are of interest.
Projects can be either integrated (to include extension and/or education, along with research) or research only. Projects may evaluate the institutional, social, or economic factors affecting decision making and policy development to enhance the economic growth and well-being of rural communities.
This program area priority focuses mainly on entrepreneurs, small businesses, and other locallevel employers and services who are important sources of employment, and/or on other issues “beyond the farm gate.”

AFRI - FAS Nanotechnology for Agricultural and Food Systems (A1511)
2023-09-14
Program Area Priority: Nanoscale science, engineering, and technology embrace opportunities in a wide range of critical challenges facing agriculture and food systems. The program encourages applications with innovative ideas, connected to hypothesis-based fundamental sciences, to develop nanotechnology-enabled solutions for sustainable food and nutrition security, climate-smart agriculture, and circular bioeconomy through the following broad areas: improved productivity and product quality; reduction of food waste/loss; improved nutritional value and efficiency of food and feed products; more effective therapies that significantly impact animal health and wellness; enhanced food safety and biosecurity; increased protection for natural resources, the environment, and agricultural ecosystems; reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; and improved sustainability, health, safety and joy of living. This program area priority includes, but is not limited to:
a. Novel uses and high value-added products of nano-biomaterials from agricultural and forest origins for food and non-food applications. Note: Applications primarily addressing packaging, food contact surfaces, food safety, agrochemicals, environment, health, or other aspects of agriculture and food production will be acceptable, whereas applications addressing how engineered nanomaterials affect nutritional or quality attributes of food are not solicited in this program.
b. Nanotechnology-enabled smart sensors for accurate, reliable and cost-effective early and rapid detection of pathogens, allergens, insects, diseases, chemical toxins, and contaminants in foods, plant and animal production systems, water, soil and the agricultural production environment. Nanotechnology-enabled portable, field-deployable and affordable sensors and devices for real-time detection and screening to identify agriculturally-important targets requiring no additional laboratory analyses are welcome.
c. Cost-effective distributed sensing networks, in which the sensors are enabled by nanotechnology, for intelligent and precise application of agricultural inputs (e.g., fertilizer, water, and chemicals) with the Internet of Agricultural Things (i.e., cyberphysical systems) and the science and tools of big data.
d. Environmental, health and safety assessments of engineered nanoparticles used in food and agricultural systems, including detection and quantification of engineered nanoparticles, characterization of hazards, exposure levels, transport and fate of the engineered nanoparticles or nanomaterials in foods, crops, soils (and soil biota), water, and livestock (including aquaculture species), or to agricultural and allied industry workers. This may also include animal feed formulations and processes that utilize novel nanomaterials or develop new nanostructured materials or nanoparticles that are biopersistent in digestive pathways.
e. Nanotechnology-enabled monitoring physiological biomarkers for optimal crop or animal productivity and health.
f. Discovery and characterization of nanoscale phenomena, processes, and structures relevant and important to agriculture and food.

AFRI - FAS Environmental Justice (A1461)
2023-09-14
Program Area Priority: Climate change poses a significant risk to agriculture, forests, and rangelands across the United States. Underserved communities are especially vulnerable to climate change and researchbased understanding is needed to advance environmental justice and ensure food and nutrition security and economic opportunities for communities at risk. Applications are encouraged that advance understanding of environmental justice and use of traditional ecological knowledge (including indigenous traditional knowledge) to create a demographically diverse and representative research community. Stakeholder-informed approaches that can lead to actionable information and transformational changes are also encouraged.
This program area priority is soliciting applications to fund a single Standard Research Grant to better understand, measure, and track how NIFA’s research, education, extension, and workforce development investments in clean energy, climate change, food and nutrition security and water programming impact underserved communities. This program is particularly focused on secondary, or indirect, community-level social benefits and impacts. Novel and effective approaches to tackle this challenge will be required.
Proposals are required to address all the following:
a) Developing models that leverage and complement existing geospatial approaches to environmental justice and describe multiple dimensions of the indirect and long-term effects of investments on underserved communities.
b) Incorporating input and design principles extensively and meaningfully from underserved and indigenous communities at all stages of model development and execution.

AFRI - FAS Sustainable Agroecosystems (A1451)
2023-09-14
Program Area Priority: This program area priority calls for research projects that focus on improvement of ecosystem health and output of ecosystem services in managed production systems (croplands, forests, and rangelands) that are currently under stress or at risk from climate change, pests, pathogens, invasive plants, and increased environmental pressures. This priority area calls for applied research that will advance scientific understanding of health functions, processes and management of sustainable agroecosystems. Projects will assess responses of ecosystem health in managed systems and develop innovative management or conservation practices with a focus on ecosystem service impacts and systems resilience. Projects should have the potential for substantial improvements in ecosystem services in extensively managed agricultural systems by addressing the impacts of changes in management practices on croplands, forest, and rangelands at regional or national scales. Applicants may focus on the interactions among social, cultural, economic, technological, and environmental dimensions with environmental and economic dimensions. Applications using indigenous traditional ecological knowledge are welcome for this program area priority.
To enable development and evaluation of innovative management practices while enhancing ecosystem services, applications must address one of the following:
a. New approaches that significantly increase ecosystem health and resilience, particularly in response to climate change, along with the output or value of more than one ecosystem service, each compared with the current management system for the region.
b. Improving connection of ecosystem health to managed system productivity, functionality, socioeconomic viability, biodiversity, sustainability and/or resilience.

AFRI - FAS Soil Health (A1401)
2023-09-14
Program Area Priority: Healthy soils function as a living system and sustain plant and animal productivity while providing ecosystem services such as water and air quality, mitigating climate change, and promoting plant, animal and human health. Soils are the foundation of a healthy ecosystem and, hence, it is imperative to improve our understanding of the physical and biogeochemical interactions of soil, the environment, and climate, as well as soil responses to management and amendments. This foundational knowledge will lead to the development of tools, practices, techniques and/or innovations for improving soil health, sequestering soil carbon, and strengthening the resilience and sustainability of agricultural production systems. Practices include soil-based enhancement of nutrient and water efficiencies, carbon sequestration, reduced inputs, application of amendments (e.g., fertilizers, manure, and biochar), and a reduction in chemicals of environmental concern. Practices based on indigenous traditional ecological knowledge are also appropriate for this program area priority. The goal of the Soil Health program area priority is to support research projects that will contribute to:
a. Foundational and applied research to advance scientific understanding of soil physical and biogeochemical processes and interactions;
b. Assessment, development and adoption of models, decision support tools and new climate-smart management/conservation practices that will lead to improving or maintaining soil health and productivity while maintaining or improving environmental health in a changing climate and sustainability of our natural resource base;
c. Soil health solutions grounded in interactions between natural and human dimensions of agricultural systems with a focus on effective environmental and economic management. Proposed projects that are primarily fundamental science must explain how a better understanding of the fundamental processes will lead to adoptable management strategies to improve overall soil health and the resilience and sustainability of agricultural production systems and ecosystem services in a changing climate.

AFRI - FAS Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems (A1102)
2023-09-14
Program Area Priority: The Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems program supports plant research to advance our knowledge for the wide range of agricultural production systems found across the rural-urban continuum, from conventional or organic open-fields to protected built environments. Research will address critical or process-limiting dynamics that occur among and within the various management components of a production system using experimental manipulations of system components, technological interventions, system analyses, modeling, or 16 agroecological approaches. Results are expected to lead to the development of innovative sustainable solutions to challenges limiting or threatening the productivity, profitability, and good stewardship of natural resources, environment, and human capital. Projects involving the use of indigenous traditional ecological knowledge in designing agricultural systems will be appropriate for this program area priority. Also welcome are applications that incorporate virtual learning options, where appropriate and practical for integrated programs.
Applications must address one or more of the following (order does not indicate importance):

Investigate how multiple management components of agricultural production systems can be integrated to enhance soil-crop-atmospheric processes or resilience to various biotic and abiotic stressors including those exacerbated by climate change, and improve product quality and/or productivity;
Determine how production systems, including regenerative systems, can alter the structure of microbial communities associated with plants, soils, or other growing media; the ways alterations affect functions such as plant nutrient uptake/utilization efficiency; and resilience to weeds, insects, diseases, weather extremes associated with climate change, and other stressors that influence productivity and/or product quality (including nutritional quality);
Investigate how changes to cropping systems, including diversification or intensification, affect crop performance, soil health, and other outcomes beneficial to system resilience; or
Conduct syntheses and meta-analyses of existing data or develop new or extend existing models to derive general principles about the function, properties, and performance of agricultural production systems.

AFRI - FAS Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance Across the Food Chain (A1366)
2023-09-21
Program Area Priority: Innovative solutions to the complex problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in food and agriculture are most effectively addressed by inter-disciplinary teams of experts using a systems approach. This systems-based integrated program will empower inter-disciplinary teams to develop, refine, and disseminate science-based knowledge about food and agricultural management and production practices that can mitigate or reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance along the food chain. Approaches can span AMR knowledge gaps to include but not limited to stewardship and behavioral changes in food and agriculture. The goal is to ensure safe, nutritious and abundant food supply while conserving and protecting responsible use of antimicrobials across the food and agriculture domain.
Applications must address at least one of the following:
a. Describe, quantify, assess, and/or mitigate the risk to human health from the presence of AMR pathogens or genes persisting at various critical control points along the food chain from production through processing to retail, and human consumption;
b. Investigate and assess important factors, such as fitness and virulence associated with foodborne AMR pathogens that contribute to AMR development and persistence leading to foodborne illness;
c. Identify risk associated with antimicrobial use and pathways in livestock and crop systems, AMR development, and public health;
d. Assess AMR in food and agriculture: challenges for small-scale or historically underserved producers; and/or e. Determine improved best management practices and approaches in antibiotic stewardship and trusted resources for communicating and dispensing antibiotic stewardship information and guidance.

AFRI - FAS Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems (A1112)
2023-09-21
Program Area Priority: The goal of the Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems program is to advance knowledge of invasive or established plant pests and associated beneficial species leading to innovative and biologically-based strategies to manage pests. Appropriate plant-based agricultural production systems for study include food and fiber crops, ornamental plants (including turf), and managed grasslands, rangelands and planted forests. Conventional, organic, and protected systems (including hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics, vertical farming, and other controlled environment agricultural systems) are appropriate for study. Pests may include invertebrates, plant pathogens and/or their vectors, nematodes or weeds. Beneficial species in this program will be restricted to biological control agents and microbes that play a role in pest management. Molecular, organismal, population, and/or community approaches are appropriate to this program. Both foundational and translational projects are welcome.
Applications must address one or more of the following (order does not indicate importance):

Biotic and abiotic factors, affecting the abundance or spread of agriculturally-important plant pests, disease vectors, or beneficial species relevant to pest management; factors may include (but are not limited to) other plant pests or beneficial species, climate change, plant compounds, pesticides, or toxins;
Behavioral attributes of pests and beneficial species, including intra- or interspecies interactions and/or communication systems relevant to pest management;
Factors that contribute to invasiveness, including (but not limited to) studies using population genetics/genomic approaches or models to predict, prevent or manage outbreaks, or to pinpoint geographic distribution or origin;
Movement or dispersal dynamics of pests or beneficial organisms, including pests that vector plant diseases; this could include epidemiological factors that influence disease spread, the influence of agronomic practices on weed populations, and research on aspects of weed biology that impact reproductive biology, seed bank dynamics, and other population-level aspects;
Mechanisms of pest resistance to pesticides or toxins in genetically-modified plants (e.g., fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, or Bt toxin) and development of strategies to mitigate resistance and/or crop failure;
Use of indigenous traditional ecological knowledge in pest and disease control.

AFRI - FAS Biorefining and Biomanufacturing (A1531)
2023-09-28
Program Area Priority: A biorefinery is a system that integrates biomass conversion, processes, and equipment to manufacture biofuels, chemicals, and bioproducts. This program area priority focuses on converting, treating, processing, refining, or manufacturing products to utilize plant, animal, and woody biomass. Applications must have a significant engineering component. In the context of this program area priority, engineering is defined as the application of engineering principles and tools to biological systems or materials to create usable, tangible, economically viable product and manufacturing technology or practices. Some broad research areas include, but are not limited to:
a. Improve or expand production efficiency and capacity of biomass, biofuels, chemical feedstocks, renewable energy, and bio-based products.
b. Improve or expand utilization of waste and byproducts generated in agricultural and food systems.
c. Engineer new or improved products and processes that utilize materials from agriculture or micro-organisms (including, but not limited to, bioplastics and biocomposites).
d. Address the long-term sustainability of biorefining or biomanufacturing systems that balance productivity along with positive economic, environmental, and social outcomes including the application of “circular bioeconomy” principles, lifecycle analysis (LCA), and techno-economic assessment (TEA).
e. Identify the socio-economic factors that either constrain or encourage the acceptance of engineered products and biomanufacturing processes in the marketplace.

AFRI - FAS Novel Foods and Innovative Manufacturing Technologies (A1364)
2023-09-28
Program Area Priority: NIFA requests proposals for research that develop risk-based approaches to ensure the quality, safety and nutrition of novel foods and food ingredients, including products from pulses. This priority area also seeks to advance food manufacturing competitiveness to ensure a more sustainable, resilient and healthy food supply.
Applications must address one or more of the following (order does not indicate importance):
a. Improve knowledge and understanding of the chemical, physical, biological, and nutritional properties of novel foods and novel food ingredients including effects of climate changes as appropriate;
b. Improve the safety, quality, shelf-life, convenience, nutrient profile or sensory attributes of novel foods and novel food ingredients;
c. Develop innovative manufacturing technologies that increase productivity, improve food quality and/or nutritional value of foods and food ingredients that are more energy, water and resource efficient; or
d. Advance sciences and develop technologies to improve shelf life and minimize food loss and waste throughout the food supply chain including consumer empowering tools to support circular bioeconomy.

AFRI - FAS Economics, Markets and Trade (A1641)
2023-10-05
Program Area Priority: This program area priority supports research on development of theories, methods and applications of agricultural economics. It encourages applications in the following broad areas: agricultural market structure and performance; competitiveness in international trade and domestic markets; agricultural production and resource use; consumer behavior; farm labor and immigration and policy; agricultural policy design and impacts; technology development and adoption; and science and innovation policy.
The program area priority scope includes, but is not limited to:
a. Examine the economics of agriculture and food policy, including changes in trade, immigration, crop insurance, price stabilization and income support.
b. Factors addressing farm labor shortages, contributing to development and adoption of labor-saving or substituting technology; implications for farmer and farm labor economic welfare. Address the particular concerns regarding technology adoption and decision-making challenges for historically underserved farmers and ranchers.
c. Examine factors contributing to pest resistance in pesticide use (and other pest management approaches) and the adoption of pest resistance mitigation strategies.
d. Economic and behavioral aspects of consumption or savings behavior, consumer financial decision making; agricultural production and technology adoption, and the design and implementation of policy intended to affect those behaviors. e. Examine the causes and consequences of food and nutritional insecurity.
f. Examine the economic implications of big data on agricultural markets, industry structure, and agricultural and food value chains, how big data informs decision-making by agricultural producers, policymakers, and consumers and enhances market efficiency and performance. Development of innovative empirical methods for addressing economic analysis using big data, machine learning, and natural language processing techniques.
producers. Examine the economics and performance of the supply chains that emerge to implement new technologies, how they are affected by various policies, and their competitiveness and trade implications.
h. Examine the impact of disasters on food supply chain resilience, agricultural production, and consumer behavior.
i. NIFA and the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) are interested in partnering on the following priority pending funding:
Examine the benefits to U.S. agriculture, and costs of USDA-FAS’s agricultural technical assistance and capacity building for low- and middle-income countries,

Economic and trade impacts of agriculture market access barriers including barriers to regulations that govern the use of genetically-engineered organisms for product approval and import.

AFRI - FAS Engineering for Agricultural Production and Processing (A1521)
2023-10-05
Program Area Priority: This program area priority focuses on engineered devices, technologies, and tools to improve agriculturally relevant plant, animal, and forestry systems. This excludes precision crop and water management systems, which are now included in a new program (A1551). See “additional information,” part (g.) below. Applications must have a significant engineering component. Engineering is defined as the application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and operation of efficient and sustainable structures, technologies, machines, processes, and systems. Some broad emphasis areas include, but are not limited to:
a. Enable engineering, sensing, computing, modeling, automation, and information systems for: forestry, plant and animal production and protection (including aquaculture); and post-harvest inspection, handling, processing, packaging, and distribution.
b. Develop systems or technology for sensing, automation and mechanization of laborintensive tasks in crop and animal production (including aquaculture).
c. Technologies for nutrient recovery from manure. d. Topics of water or nutrient management are not covered by program A1551.
e. Explore the use or development of advanced computational or engineering methods and technologies for navigation, mining, management, visualization, understanding, and communication of agricultural systems data in production and processing systems.
f. Develop and test risk assessment and mitigation measures applicable to agriculture (in particular, reduce hazards to agricultural workers that can include assistive technologies).
g. Within potential topics presented herein, methods of breaking down technological barriers to adoption in integrated projects are welcomed.

AFRI - FAS Engineering for Precision Crop and Water Management (A1551)
2023-10-12
Program Area Priority: This program area priority focuses on engineered devices, technologies, sensors, and tools to provide precision crop and orchard management, technologies for targeted application of crop protection materials, and improve efficiency of irrigation and nutrient use in agricultural systems. Applications must have a significant engineering component. Engineering is defined as the application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and operation of efficient and sustainable structures, technologies, sensors, machines, processes, and systems.
a. Develop and test the implementation of tools and precision technologies for monitoring, measurement, and detection in agricultural systems that may incorporate both drone and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technologies.
b. Explore the use or development of advanced computational or engineering methods and technologies for navigation, mining, management, visualization, understanding, and communication of agricultural systems data pertaining to precision water and crop management.
c. Develop and improve precision engineering technologies that prevent disease spread/pathogens and invasive weeds in agricultural systems.
d. Develop systems or technology for sensing, automation and mechanization of laborintensive tasks in precision crop and water management.
e. Within potential topics presented herein, methods of breaking down technological barriers to adoption in integrated projects are welcomed.
f. For integrated projects that provide engineering solutions for conservation of energy and water resources in irrigation, emphasis areas (that can be combined) include, but are 74 not limited to:

Packaged irrigation management solutions using smart sensing and model-based decision support systems that can be readily adopted by farmers on both small and large scales;
Variable-rate and deficit irrigation management solutions that provide adaptive prescriptions and consider limitations of the water delivery system;
Innovative sensing and control schemes for furrow irrigation;
Combined water and nutrient management systems;
Micro-irrigation designs and management practices that can be appropriately scaled to site-specific characteristics and end-user capabilities; and/or
Decision support tools into easy-to-use irrigation mobile apps that integrate sitespecific weather, sensor, soil, and/or model-based data for decision-making.

AFRI - FAS Conventional Plant Breeding for Cultivar Development (A1143)
2023-10-12
Program Area Priority: The Conventional Plant Breeding for Cultivar Development program will support public breeding efforts that provide farmers with greater access to locally and regionally adapted cultivars and address the public breeding priorities in the USDA plant breeding roadmap (https://www.usda.gov/topics/plants).
Applications for research must address later stages of cultivar development focused on datadriven evaluation of developed materials in established regional trials or cooperative networks with the primary goal of producing distinct, uniform, finished cultivars or heterogeneousvarieties for public release with benefits to either producers or consumers. Research proposals must include (1) how the cultivar will be released and marketed, (2) who owns the intellectual property, (3) letters of support from stakeholders, (4) how the research fits within the overall existing breeding program, and (5) how this support for later stages of cultivar development will enhance and increase the availability of cultivars in the market place within the duration of the award. In addition to the research, proposals may include requests for modern plant breeding equipment (e.g., ranging from field to seed or processing to laboratory) to support plant breeding program infrastructure. Stand-alone equipment proposals are not acceptable. Relevance and need to enhance cultivar development must be clearly justified, demonstrable, and specific. Research that incorporates education of field-based plant breeders is strongly recommended. Breeding for tribal food systems using indigenous traditional ecological knowledge is appropriate for this program area priority. Research that results in new cultivars addressing sustainability or climate resiliency goals are also appropriate for this priority.
