The USDA said it invested nearly $121 million for advancing research and extension to solve key challenges facing specialty crop and organic producers.
This includes a $70.4 million investment in specialty crop production research across the U.S. through the National Institute of Food Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative and $50.5 million to support organic farmers.
The NIFA funds were awarded through USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program. The USDA said NIFA’s investment builds on its $82.3 million in grant funding through the Agricultural Marketing Service to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the U.S.
“Organic agriculture plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable and healthy food systems that benefit people and the planet,” Manitj Misra, USDA NIFA director, said in a release. “NIFA’s investments in organic research and extension programs help ensure farmers can meet growing demand for organic products, which provide valuable economic opportunities for growers and more choices for consumers.”
NIFA’s Organic Agriculture Program, which includes the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative and the Organic Transitions Program, funded 30 organic agriculture projects. These include projects to improve yields, quality and profitability as well as NIFA Organic Transitions Program assist growers in adopting organic practices to improve market competitiveness, the release said.
Projects funded by NIFA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative include a project at Washington State University, where researchers will develop mitigation strategies for current apple and pear cultivars and knowledge to assess new cultivars’ suitability for future climate conditions quickly.
Projects funded by NIFA’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative grants include the Organic Center for Education and Promotion, which will focus on jump-starting participation and motivation for a diverse representation in future organic leadership.
Projects funded under NIFA’s Organic Transitions Program include a project at Michigan State University to explore organic tree fruit production east of the Mississippi river using bacteriophages to help manage bacterial plant diseases including fire blight in apples and cherries and bacterial canker in cherries.
“We know specialty and organic crops add nutrition to our diets and value to sustainable agriculture systems,” Chavonda Jacobs-Young, USDA chief scientist and under secretary for research, education and economics, said in the release. “These crops also play a vital role in preserving cultural heritage and enhancing economic opportunities across local, regional and global food systems, making them great competitive funding investments that target some of the most difficult challenges facing specialty crop and organic producers nationwide.”
