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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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    Second Annual Virtual Grants Support Technical Assistance Workshop
    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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    Crop ProductionSharePrint Friendly Email Twitter Facebook
    
    Plants
      Crop Production
          Nematology
          Pest Management
          Plant Breeding
          Plant HealthFarmers are faced with the challenge of producing sufficient crops to meet growing consumer demand while maintaining the quality and quantity of resources for future generations. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are developing research-based technologies to help farmers increase productivity and production efficiency while practicing sustainable agriculture.

Importance of Crop Production

Field and forage (agronomic) crops are grown on most of the 200 million acres of harvested cropland in the United States. Agronomic crops provide the food, feed grain, oil, and fiber for domestic consumption and are a major component of U.S. export trade. Horticultural plants — those grown specifically for human use — offer variety to human diets and enhance the living environment.

NIFA’s Impact

NIFA programs are working to increase crop production while maintaining the environment by providing services such as:

Conducting research on issues that affect horticultural breeding, growth, and production
	Improving productivity of field and forage crops
	Ensuring sound use of natural resources, reducing soil erosion, and improving soil quality
	Implementing newly developed and tested methods that improve soil on both conventional and organic farms
	Reviving heirloom varieties of crops while  developing new varieties
	Helping farmers plant crops suitable to local and regional climate and crop management needs

  Programs
    AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems
              Agronomic and Forage Crops Program
              Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants (BRAG) Program
              Crop Protection and Pest Management Program
              Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program
              Equipment Grants Program (EGP)
              From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals (NextGen)
              Plant Health and Production and Plant Products Program Area
              Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI)
              Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture

  Funding Opportunities
    Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development
              Crop Protection and Pest Management
              Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) (Joint NSF) Competitive Grants Program
              Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems
              Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program Pre-Applications
              Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative
              Research Facilities Act Program Return to top
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