The USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, a program for competitive grants, is running on half of the money that was anticipated when Congress created AFRI 10 years ago, says a report by a group of ag researchers. “Federal investment in food sciences has remained flat as the number of threats to our food system continues to climb,” said Thomas Grumbly of the Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR). The groups says ag research should be a top priority in the 2018 farm bill.
At present, AFRI distributes about $375 million a year, compared to the $700 million that is authorized in the 2008 and 2014 farm laws, said the group. Its report, “Retaking the field,” says AFRI “can only fund one-quarter of the recommended research” because of constrained appropriations. The USDA received 4 percent of federal research and development funding, not counting Pentagon R&D, it said. SoAR is among five dozen groups that support a doubling of the ag research budget.
“There are truly urgent needs to produce more food, fiber and fuel while consuming fewer resources and protecting public health in the face of existing and emerging threats,” said Grumbly. The report described AFRI-funded research in three areas that have great financial impact: nutrition related ailments such as high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease; zoonotic diseases that move between animals and humans; and food-borne illness.