USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture

NIFA's 1890 Institution Teaching, Research and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program is intended to strengthen teaching, research and extension programs in the food and agricultural sciences by building the institutional capacities of the 1890 Land-grant Institutions. https://lnkd.in/g3Ggg54Z

As we celebrate National Intern Day, we honor the immense dedication, transformative influence and outstanding achievements of our 2024 interns! This summer, NIFA has welcomed new and returning interns from various academic programs- 1890 Scholars, 1994 Tribal Scholars, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and USDA Pathways.

The deadline to apply for NIFA's Mentoring at Risk and Rural Youth (MARRY) competitive grant program is quickly approaching. The mission of the MARRY program is to expand opportunities for rural youth, juvenile justice-involved youth, and youth at risk of juvenile justice involvement to receive mentoring services through 4-H programming. Closing date: Aug. 5 Apply: https://lnkd.in/epZGspJK

Several NIFA key leaders recently served on the USDA-wide, 41-member volunteer team that supported the USDA “Harvesting Hope” Agrifood Innovation Symposium June 11 in Washington, D.C. The symposium was in partnership with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR). The program included an innovation hall and talks featuring NIFA-funded research activities. NIFA leadership, including Dr. Manjit Misra, Dr. Dionne Toombs, Dr. Venu Kalavacharla, Davida Tengey and Dr. Gyami Shrestha, attended. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack kicked off the event by announcing the new USDA-FFAR Funding Opportunity, “Nourishing Next Generation Agrifood Breakthroughs” Innovation Challenge. This competitive Innovation Challenge will provide up to $2 million across multiple teams, led by early-career scientists (those who have received their Ph.D. within the past 10 years), to pursue unconventional ideas with the potential to produce major breakthroughs at the intersection of nutrition and health, equity and justice, and climate-smart agriculture.

The citrus industry in the U.S. is valued at more than $3.3 billion with major production concentrated in Florida, California and Texas. However, citrus production in the U.S. is threatened by an invasive bacterial pathogen transmitted by a tiny insect, the Asian citrus psyllid, that transmits the Huanglongbing disease. NIFA-funded research projects are combatting citrus greening from a variety of angles including conventional breeding, gene editing, novel biotechnology, anti-microbial therapeutics and protective screens. https://lnkd.in/eHEQ3Z7x

NIFA's Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs offer competitively awarded grants to qualified small businesses to support high quality research related to important scientific problems and opportunities in agriculture that could lead to significant public benefits. In this webinar, program staff provide an overview of the programs' Phase I and discuss details included in the Request for Applications. Time will be reserved to respond to audience questions. 

Meet, Tiffani McAdoo! Tiffani serves as a grants management specialist in NIFA's Office of Grants and Financial Management for the Awards Management Division. "I specifically joined the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to administratively contribute to innovative agricultural research and foster sustainable practices for grant making in the food industry. I am passionate about ensuring access to healthy food options by mitigating barriers and promoting the well-being of communities. NIFA's mission deeply resonates with my core values and aspirations. I was drawn to the organization's commitment to driving positive change in agriculture, fostering collaborations, and empowering farmers and communities to thrive in a rapidly evolving world." - Tiffani McAdoo

USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary of Research, Education and Economics Sanah Baig and NIFA’s National Program Leader Dr. Gyami Shrestha were invited to and attended the “Cultivating Tomorrow: Driving High-impact Agricultural Innovation at USDA” event at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C., June 20. This was an invite-only roundtable focused on identifying barriers facing agricultural innovation in the United States and designing USDA’s AgARDA program to drive impact.

The Bioenergy, Natural Resources and Environment (BNRE) Program Area is one of the farm bill priority areas reflected in the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Foundational and Applied Science Request for Applications (RFA). In this webinar, program staff will provide an overview of the BNRE program and discuss details included in the RFA. Time will be reserved to respond to audience questions.

Farmers face unpredictable weather and dwindling yields. NIFA's Data Science for Food and Agricultural Systems (DSFAS) helps farmers optimize water use, predict crop success and adapt to climate changes. Learn more about NIFA-funded projects that aim to reduce food loss with funding from DSFAS. https://lnkd.in/eRdJ_F2v