USDA announces Agriculture and Food Research Initiative – Sustainable Agricultural Systems in United States

Deadline: 4 June 2019

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking applications for its grant program entitled “Agriculture and Food Research Initiative – Sustainable Agricultural Systems”.

The purpose of AFRI is to support research, education, and extension work by awarding grants to solve key problems of local, regional, national, and global importance in sustaining conventional, organic, and urban agricultural systems.

These include farm efficiency, profitability and sustainability, ranching, bioenergy, forestry, aquaculture, rural communities and entrepreneurship, human nutrition, mitigating impacts of biotic and abiotic constraints on food production, food safety,mitigating food waste and food loss, physical and social sciences, home economics and rural human ecology, biotechnology, and classical breeding. Through this support, AFRI advances knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture.

Priority Areas

The purpose of the SAS Program Area is to promote the sustainable supply of abundant, affordable, safe, nutritious, and accessible food and other agricultural products, while enhancing economic opportunities and improving the long-term health and well-being of all Americans. This RFA solicits applications for projects focused on:

increasing profitability in agriculture through reducing input costs, increasing productivity, and reducing losses due to environmental and biological stresses, including pests and diseases;
fostering economic development and prosperity in rural America by catalyzing production of high-value bio-based chemicals and other products using agricultural feedstocks; and/or
enhancing rural prosperity and health by ensuring access to affordable, safe and nutritious food to sustain healthy lifestyles.

Funding Information

Estimated Total Program Funding: $90,000,000
Award Ceiling: $10,000,000
Award Floor: $5,000,000

Eligibility Criteria

Applications may only be submitted by eligible entities.
Eligibility is linked to the project type as specified below.
Research, Education or Extension Projects: Eligible applicants for single-function Research,Education or Extension Projects include:
- State Agricultural Experiment Station;
- colleges and universities (including junior colleges offering associate degrees or higher);
- university research foundations;
- other research institutions and organizations;
- Federal agencies,
- national laboratories;
- private organizations or corporations;
- individuals who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents; and
- Eligible institutions do not include foreign and international organizations.
Integrated Projects: Eligible applicants for Integrated Projects include:
- colleges and universities;
- 1994 Land-Grant Institutions; and
- Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities
- the terms “college” and “university” mean an educational institution in any state which
  - admits as regular students only persons having a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary education, or the recognized equivalent of such a certificate;
  - is legally authorized within such state to provide a program of education beyond secondary education;
  - provides an educational program for which a bachelor’s degree or any other higher degree is awarded;
  - is a public or other nonprofit institution; and
  - is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association. A research foundation maintained by a college or university is eligible to receive an award under this program.
Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement Grants: FASE Grants provide support for Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships, New Investigators, and Strengthening Grants.