 The President's
Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Budget Proposal for the National Institute of Food
and Agriculture (NIFA), proposes doubling funding for the Agriculture
and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), minor
increases in funding for some programs, and sustained funding for others. NIFA
uses these funds to deploy research that underpins transformative discoveries
needed to solve challenges to our nation’s nutritional security, including
diminishing land and water resources, changing climate, and the need for environmental
stewardship, in the context of the burgeoning population.
AFRI-funded science is vital to meeting food, fiber, and fuel
demands as the world’s population races toward a projected 9 billion by 2050.
NIFA-funded AFRI projects are already making strides defending agriculture against
climate variability; water supply; food safety and security; and pollinator
health. Here are some examples of how AFRI-funded research is addressing many
of our nation’s complex agricultural challenges.
As variations in climate become more extreme, a number of
abiotic factors, including increased water temperature and decreased water
supply, may limit trout production. Montana State
University researchers are studying how to develop low cost dietary
interventions that could enable rainbow trout production to meet the increasing
demands of aquaculture in spite of forecasted climate changes.
Beef produced on pasture and rangeland forages in the
Southern Great Plains (SGP: Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas) provides a significant
portion of the nation's red meat, constitutes the largest land use and
agricultural enterprise in the region, and is subject to a widely variable
climate. Researchers at
Kansas State University are tracking these cattle in order to better
understand SGP beef production vulnerability in the face of climate change. The
goal is to increase the resiliency of beef cattle operations on grazing lands
and wheat pasture so producers can better sustain future productivity through
potential climate changes. As part of the work, researchers are also looking
for the best ways to reduce beef production’s environmental footprint, such as
finding the most efficient ways to use water, best grazing practices, best
forages, and improving soil and water quality.
Human noroviruses cause
more than five million cases of foodborne disease every year,
more than any other pathogen, including Escherichia
coli and Salmonella. A team of
researchers led by North Carolina State University has discovered how
noroviruses contaminate fresh produce, such as lettuce and kale. The research
team has developed surface sanitizers that reduce norovirus on food service
worker gloves and food processing surfaces. Other promising approaches for the
inactivation of noroviruses include gamma irradiation, high intensity pulsed
light, copper surfaces, and nanomaterials.
Bees are important to pollination in U.S. agriculture. Reports
of their declines have raised concerns about risks to human food production,
which have led to conservation efforts that augment resources for bees across
the landscape. For these to be effective, critical information is needed on bee
movement, particularly on distances they cover in search of pollen, nectar, and
nesting sites. Oregon State University
researchers are creating a lightweight electronic sensors
platform for insect telemetry to better understand bee foraging and nesting
behaviors in agricultural landscapes. This work to improve pollinator
sustainability will lead to greater yielding bee-pollinated crops.
For more information regarding AFRI and the 2017 budget
request, see a statement
from NIFA Director Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy in his Feb. 3, 2016, blog
regarding the importance of agricultural research. A
fact sheet on AFRI's record of achievements is also
available.
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