Funding-NIFA
Announces $8.4 Million in Funding to Address Climate Change Impact on US
Agriculture; November 17, 2016
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View this release on the NIFA
website. NIFA
Announces $8.4 Million in Funding to Address Climate Change Impact on US
Agriculture WASHINGTON, July 12, 2016- The
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA) today announced the availability of $8.4 million in
available funding to study and develop new approaches for the agriculture
sector to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. The funding is
available through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI),
which is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. “Each
year, climate change poses uncertain and varied challenges for American
farmers and producers in terms of environmental effects and impacts on
agricultural practices and productivity,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy.
“This funding will support discoveries to create innovative strategies to
adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change on our nation’s
agricultural systems, which will be invaluable for American farmers whose
livelihoods directly depend on the nation’s land and water resources.” The goal of the AFRI
Agriculture and Natural Resources Science for Climate Variability and Change
Challenge Area is to reduce the use of energy,
nitrogen, and water, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Since 2009, more than $150 million in research and extension grants have been
awarded through AFRI in support of efforts to minimize the impacts of climate
change. Within this program, NIFA also will provide
funds to design a cadre of community-based volunteers who would be trained to
become “climate masters,” whose work will help their communities become
better at adapting and becoming resilient to climate change. This effort
could connect with state cooperative extension efforts and support the USDA Climate
Hubs. Examples of previously funded projects through this program include an
Iowa State University study that examined factors that facilitate or hinder
climate adaptation for agriculture, while assessing the role of human-made
infrastructure and policies that protect natural resources, grassland and
wetlands. A Penn State University project worked to strengthen farm operators’
capacity to manage cropping system’s adaptation to climate change by
providing real time online decision making tools. Applicants
for fiscal year 2016 should focus on how land-use affects and is affected by
climate change. Applications are due November 17 for climate and land use
projects. Climate masters outreach and extension applications are due
September 14. See the request
for applications for more information. Science funded by AFRI is vital to
meeting food, fiber, and fuel demands as the world's population is projected
to exceed nine billion by 2050 and natural resources are stressed under a
changing climate. In addition, AFRI programs help develop new technologies
and a workforce that will advance our nutritional security, our energy
self-sufficiency, and the health of Americans. The
President’s 2017 budget request proposed to fully fund AFRI for $700
million; this amount is the full funding level authorized by Congress
when it established AFRI in the 2008 Farm Bill. NIFA invests in and advances innovative and transformative initiatives to
solve societal challenges and ensure the long-term viability of agriculture.
NIFA's integrated research, education, and extension programs, supporting the
best and brightest scientists and extension personnel, have resulted in
user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries that are combating childhood
obesity, improving and sustaining rural economic growth, addressing water
availability issues, increasing food production, finding new sources of
energy, mitigating climate variability, and ensuring food safety. To learn
more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural science, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts, sign up for email updates, or follow us on Twitter @usda_NIFA, #NIFAimpacts. # USDA is an equal opportunity provider
and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil
Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop
9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992(English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD)
or (866) 377-8642 (English
Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136
(Spanish Federal-relay)
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