Deadline: 21-Jan-22
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is pleased to announce the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) to address the critical needs of the specialty crop industry by awarding grants to support research and extension that address key challenges of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including conventional and organic food production systems.
Focus Areas
The SCRI program has five legislatively mandated focus areas to address the critical needs of the specialty crop industry by developing and disseminating science-based tools to address needs of specific crops and their regions, including the following:
- Research in plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and other methods to improve crop characteristics, such as:
- product, taste, quality, and appearance.
- size-controlling rootstocks for perennial crops.
- climate adaptation, environmental responses, and tolerances.
- nutrient management, including plant nutrient uptake efficiency.
- pest and disease management, including resistance to pests and diseases resulting in reduced application management strategies; and
- enhanced phytonutrient content.
- Efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases, including
- threats to specialty crop pollinators.
- emerging and invasive species; and
- a more effective understanding and utilization of existing natural enemy complexes.
- Efforts
- to improve production efficiency, handling and processing, productivity, competitiveness in trade, and profitability over the long term (including specialty crop policy and marketing); and
- to achieve a better understanding of
- the soil rhizosphere microbiome.
- pesticide application systems and certified drift-reduction technologies; and
- systems to improve and extend the storage life of specialty crops.
- New innovations, data-driven predictive tools using Artificial Intelligence, and technology, including –
- mechanization and automation of labor-intensive tasks in production and processing.
- technologies that delay or inhibit ripening.
- decision support systems driven by phenology and environmental factors.
- improved monitoring systems for agricultural pests; and
- effective systems for pre-harvest and postharvest management of quarantine pests.
- Methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential food safety hazards in the production and processing of specialty crops, including fresh produce.
Goals
The SCRI program is aligned with the following USDA Strategic Goals:
- Ensure USDA Programs Are Delivered Efficiently, Effectively, With Integrity and a Focus on Customer Service.
- Maximize the Ability of American Agricultural Producers to Prosper by Feeding and Clothing the World.
- Facilitate Rural Prosperity and Economic Development.
- Strengthen the Stewardship of Private Lands Through Technology and Research.
Funding Information
The anticipated amount available for support of this program in FY 2022 is approximately $80,000,000.
Eligibility Criteria
Pre-applications may only be submitted by Federal agencies, national laboratories, colleges and universities, research institutions and organizations, private organizations or corporations, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, individuals, or groups consisting of two or more of these entities.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=336425