USDA's basic research agenda is larger than ever, and greater challenges lie ahead. We must maintain the growth that began last year as the next step to improved research funding. Agricultural Science is Essential to the Age of Biology Several Members of Congress and the Administration have rallied around the principle of supporting biomedical research. However, research for human health extends beyond areas that are part of the mission of the National Institutes of Health. He listed many biomedical research advances as examples that will improve human health.
Human health is enhanced by safe foods, balanced diets, and proper nutrition.
As the future challenges us with new and more complicated human diseases, scientists must expand outside their traditional disciplines and look toward the work that is being done in other areas such as plant and animal genomics. Transgenic plants and animals offer potential human health benefits never before thought possible. Research on how our food is produced, pesticide usage, animal care, and food handling issues also challenge our scientists. These demands and opportunities must be answered in a way that sustains or enhances our quality of life. USDA's basic research agenda is larger than ever, and greater challenges lie ahead, yet funding continues to be stagnant in agricultural research.