|
Media contact: Sally Gifford, 202-720-2047
WASHINGTON,
D.C. Oct. 4, 2017 – The U.S. Department of
Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today
announced Fiscal Year 2018 funding for research and extension activities to enhance
productivity, safety, and innovation in the specialty crop industry. Funding is
made through the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), authorized by the
2014 Farm Bill.
“To
be competitive in a global market, U.S. specialty crop producers need to use
sophisticated technologies and prudent practices,” said NIFA Director Sonny
Ramaswamy. “These NIFA investments support large-scale systems projects that we
expect will result in knowledge, which can promote efficient and effective production,
processing, and distribution practices, along with long-term
solutions to specialty crop industry challenges.”
Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts,
dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. The Specialty Crop
Research Initiative invites pre-applications to solve critical U.S. specialty crop
issues, priorities, or problems through integrated research and extension
activities that use systems-based, trans-disciplinary approaches. The SCRI
program will give priority to projects that are multistate,
multi-institutional, or trans-disciplinary and include clearly defined
mechanisms to communicate results to producers and the public. Five focus areas
for SCRI projects include research on breeding, pest and disease management,
production efficiency, innovations and technology, and food safety.
NIFA will distribute $48 million for FY 2018 specialty crops research.
NIFA has invested more than $400 million through the SCRI program to date. Previously
funded work includes a Clemson University project to encourage growers to use online resources for
consumption of recycled water; the resources include online decision tools, grower
surveys to understand barriers, economic management protocols, and models for water
disinfection and distribution. Cornell University coordinated the Northern Grapes Project, a
consortium of research and extension specialists from 14 states from New
England to the Upper Midwest. The project resulted in a 17 percent increase in
production of cold hardy grapes in the region. Further analysis showed that employment in vineyards producing
cold hardy grapes increased 32 percent from 5,900 to 7,800 jobs, employment in
wineries increased from 5,000 to 8,400 jobs (68 percent), and employment in
tasting rooms increased from 1,500 to 2,526 jobs (49 percent). In the wineries,
sales of cold-hardy wines increased by 11 percent and the economic contribution
of the wineries increased from $215 million to $255 million (19 percent).
The
anticipated amount available for funding is $48 million. The application
deadline is Dec. 8, 2017. See the request for applications for details.
NIFA’s mission is to invest in and advance agricultural research,
education, and extension to solve societal challenges. NIFA’s investments in
transformative science directly support the long-term prosperity and global
preeminence of U.S. agriculture. To learn more
about NIFA’s impact on agricultural sciences, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/Impacts, sign up for email updates or follow us on Twitter @USDA_NIFA, #NIFAImpacts.
###
USDA is an equal
opportunity lender, provider, and employer.
|
