Organic Research Opportunities Available
in $223 Million Federal Research Program
Organic Experts Needed as Reviewers

USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture has released 6 of 7 anticipated Requests for Applications (RFAs) for its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program.

Links to each RFA are online at AFRI grants

While the word “organic” appears only twice and many of the research programs are designed to fund transgenic and nanotechnology projects, numerous opportunities exist for organic researchers to “read themselves in” to the stated funding priorities.

USDA is proposing to cut $5 million from the 2011 budget for federal funds specifically allocated to organic research while suggesting that AFRI funds will make up the difference. This will only happen if AFRI receives a number of high quality organic proposals. We strongly encourage organic researchers to assemble ambitious organic research, outreach, and extension projects to compete for these funds. Several of these program areas offer multi-million dollar funding for projects of up to five years.

If you do not currently have the capacity to apply for a grant, consider serving on a review panel for the AFRI grants. Organic expertise in reviewing proposals is also needed. Detail on becoming a reviewer may be found at review panelists.

Space for organic projects most obviously appears in the Foundational Program and the Climate Change, Global Food Security, and Food Safety Challenge Areas. The enterprising researcher also may find some opportunities in the Childhood Obesity Prevention or Sustainable Bioenergy Challenge Areas.

Most program areas require a letter of intent submission as early as mid-April. Full proposals are generally due 2 to 3 months later. Specific deadlines vary by program area.

Please carefully review the Requests for Applications for grant types offered for each priority and for specific program area priorities and requirements.

Program areas holding the most promise for organic proposals include:

Foundational program

• Pest and Beneficial Insects in Plant Systems (research on Colony Collapse Disorder and native or managed bee pollinators is included in this priority)
• Food-borne Pathogen–Plant Interactions
• Practical Approaches to Food Safety
• Microbial communities in soil
• Engineering Approaches for Improved or Alternative Management Systems to Safeguard Animal Welfare
• Prosperity of Small and Medium-Sized Farms and Rural Communities
• Economics of Markets and Development

Food safety challenge area

• Microbial Ecology and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli Shedding in Cattle

Climate change challenge area

• Regional Approaches to Climate Change
• Regional Approaches to Climate Change: Planning
• National Cereal Germplasm Phenotyping
• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Agriculture

Global food security challenge area

• Improving Sustainability by Improving Feed Efficiency of Animals
• Program Delivery and Implementation of Wide-area Pest Monitoring
• Improved Sustainable Food Systems to Reduce Hunger and Food Insecurity Domestically and Globally

There are four basic project types: standard, planning/coordination, conference, and Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP). The CAP targets support for large-scale, multi-million dollar projects to promote collaboration, open communication, and the exchange of information.

A range of Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants are also offered. Most offerings are “strengthening grants” that are only available to small and mid-sized institutions, minority-serving institutions, colleges identified as having limited institutional success, and agricultural experiment stations or degree-granting institutions eligible for USDA Experimental Program for Stimulating Competitive Research (EPSCoR) funding. Strengthening grant types include sabbatical, equipment, seed, standard, and CAP grants.

Depending on program area, grants may be offered for research, education, extension, or integrated projects that combine research, education, and extension objectives.

Other useful resources for potential AFRI applicants include:

Chart of program areas, program leaders, and deadlines

Webinar on how to apply

OFRF’s OFAN article on AFRI funding

This is a Special Edition in a series of occasional bulletins providing selected information on organic research programs, positions, funding, and reports, as well as news about SCOAR itself. Original items may be reproduced with attribution to OFRF. These reports are sent via email to registered SCOAR participants. For previous bulletins, registration and other information about SCOAR, see http://ofrf.org/networks/scoar.html