Deadline: 15-Oct-21
The Department of Agriculture and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is accepting applications for the Farm of the Future grant program to establish an agricultural test bed and demonstration site.
The Farm of the Future under assistance listing will integrate advances in precision agriculture, smart automation, resilient agricultural practices, socioeconomics, and plant and animal performance. The site will develop data-driven solutions by technology integration to increase productivity, create value-added agricultural products, and enhance connectivity and resilience for thriving rural communities.
Priorities
Applications are expected to address more than one of the following priorities:
- Precision management of crop and animal operations including control of pests and pathogens. Technologies could include but are not limited to use of robots, UAS, Unmanned Ground Vehicles, and sensors that can securely gather quality data in real-time to support AI-driven accessible decision support tools.
- Applicability of technology use in a broad range of agricultural enterprises such as but not limited to crops and animals, conventional or organic approaches, various farm sizes, and diverse agroecological management strategies.
- Climate-smart practices that positively impact productivity, resilience, and sustainability.
- Farm profitability and economic sustainability of food production using a ‘whole systems’ approach to address nutritional quality and security, consumer and producer acceptability, as well as social concerns such as but not limited to farm worker health and safety, workforce development, and community building.
- Scale-neutral practices that can be applied broadly, are accessible to underserved farmers and ranchers, value traditional and indigenous knowledge, and provide demonstration opportunities for hands-on learning for K-12 to college-level education programs.
Funding Information
- Maximum Award Amount: Approximately $3,936,000
- Grant Duration: 36-48 Months
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible entities: A single competitive grant will be awarded to an institution in the land-grant university system. Public and private collaborations are encouraged.
- Applicants for the Farm of the Future RFA must meet all the requirements discussed in this RFA. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria by the application deadline may result in exclusion from consideration or, preclude NIFA from making an award.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=335369