910 
on the date of enactment of the Agriculture Reform, 
Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 and ending on Sep-
tember 30, 2018, the Secretary shall carry out a 
pulse crop health and extension initiative to address 
the critical needs of the pulse crop industry by devel-
oping and disseminating science-based tools and in-
formation, including— 
‘‘(A) research in health and nutrition, such 
as— 
‘‘(i) identifying global dietary patterns 
of pulse crops in relation to population 
health; 
‘‘(ii) researching pulse crop diets and 
the ability of the diets to reduce obesity 
and associated chronic disease (including 
cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, 
and cancer); and 
‘‘(iii) identifying the underlying mech-
anisms of the health benefits of pulse crop 
consumption (including disease biomarkers, 
bioactive components, and relevant plant 
genetic components to enhance the health 
promoting value of pulse crops); 
‘‘(B) research in functionality, such as— 
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911 
‘‘(i) improving the functional prop-
erties of pulse crops and pulse fractions; 
‘‘(ii) developing new and innovative 
technologies to improve pulse crops as an 
ingredient in food products; and 
‘‘(iii) developing nutrient-dense food 
product solutions to ameliorate chronic dis-
ease and enhance food security worldwide; 
‘‘(C) research in sustainability to enhance 
global food security, such as— 
‘‘(i) plant breeding, genetics and 
genomics to improve productivity, nutrient 
density, and phytonutrient content for a 
growing world population; 
‘‘(ii) pest and disease management, 
including resistance to pests and diseases 
resulting in reduced application manage-
ment strategies; and 
‘‘(iii) improving nitrogen fixation to 
reduce the carbon and energy footprint of 
agriculture; 
‘‘(D) optimizing pulse cropping systems to 
reduce water usage; and 
‘‘(E) education and technical service, such 
as— 
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912 
‘‘(i) providing technical expertise to 
help food companies include nutrient-dense 
pulse crops in innovative and healthy 
foods; and 
‘‘(ii) establishing an educational pro-
gram to encourage the consumption and 
production of pulse crops in the United 
States and other countries. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may 
carry out the Initiative through— 
‘‘(A) Federal agencies, including the Agri-
cultural Research Service and the National In-
stitute of Food and Agriculture; 
‘‘(B) National Laboratories; 
‘‘(C) institutions of higher education; 
‘‘(D) research institutions or organizations; 
‘‘(E) private organizations or corporations; 
‘‘(F) State agricultural experiment sta-
tions; 
‘‘(G) individuals; or 
‘‘(H) groups consisting of 2 or more enti-
ties or individuals described in subparagraphs 
(A) through (G). 
‘‘(4) RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS.— 
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this 
subsection, the Secretary shall award grants on 
a competitive basis. 
‘‘(B) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(i) seek and accept proposals for 
grants; 
‘‘(ii) determine the relevance and 
merit of proposals through a system of 
peer review, in consultation with the pulse 
crop industry; and 
‘‘(iii) award grants on the basis of 
merit, quality, and relevance. 
‘‘(C) 
PRIORITIES.—In 
making 
grants 
under this subsection, the Secretary shall pro-
vide a higher priority to projects that— 
‘‘(i) are multistate, multiinstitutional, 
and multidisciplinary; and 
‘‘(ii) include explicit mechanisms to 
communicate results to the pulse crop in-
dustry and the public. 
‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this subsection $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2014 through 2018. 
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