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NIFA supports research, educational, and extension efforts in a wide range of scientific fields related to agricultural and behavioral sciences.

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    Check out this five-day workshop in March 2024 workshop, designed to help you learn about NIFA grants and resources for grants development and management.

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    Workforce DevelopmentSharePrint Friendly Email Twitter Facebook
    
    Education
      Learning and Engagement
          Minority Serving Institutions
          Workforce DevelopmentA competitive workforce is vital to establishing a sustainable agricultural future. As innovation continues to impact agriculture, current and future farmers, workers and scientists must learn to use more advanced technologies and draw from a broader base of scientific knowledge. Workforce development programs are intended to help current and future workers and scientists meet the demands of highly skilled positions.

Importance of Workforce Development

A huge constraint to addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges – increasing agricultural production to feed a growing population and increasing industrial demand, despite most natural resources being already fully utilized – is growth in human talent. Hence, in addition to indirectly supporting educational opportunities through capacity building programs at Minority Serving Institutions and Learning and Engagement Programs, NIFA directly supports recruitment and training of students through grants to educational institutions for Workforce Development Programs.

NIFA’s Impact

NIFA is helping to expand the agricultural workforce by supporting programs that:

Fund scholarships for students pursuing undergraduate degrees in agriculture-related fields
	Provide research and extension experiences through structured programs that incorporate mentoring and hands-on experiences in the United States or abroad
	Train graduate students in targeted disciplines of national importance in USDA mission relevant areas
	Support Pre-doctoral and post-doctoral students to help advance food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences.Grant Programs that Support Workforce Development

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative's Education and Workforce Development
	Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU) Program
		Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships
	Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP)
	National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Program (NNF)

  Programs
    Educational Scholarship Programs
              Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program
              Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP)
              Insular Areas
              Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture
              Equipment Grants Program (EGP)
              WIC Workforce Development Initiative
              Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) Eligibility
              Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) Apply
              Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP)  FAQ
              ARPTAI Cooperators
              Food and Agricultural Education Information System (FAEIS)
              From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals (NextGen)

  Funding Opportunities
    Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Education Competitive Grants Program
              CYFAR 4-H Military Partnership Professional Development and Technical Assistance
              From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals (NextGen)
              Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children – National Workforce Strategy Development
              National Plant Diagnostic Network for the Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative
              Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Youth Support and Internship Program Return to top
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