USDA- NIFA Update USDA Science & Actions

Jeanette Thurston, Ph.D. USDA-NIFA

National Program Leader Institute of Food Safety & Nutrition

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

•  Created through the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, re-org. complete Oct 1,2010

•  Replaced the former Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES)

http:www.nifa.usda.gov

NIFA’s Unique Mission: Leading food and agricultural

sciences to create a better future for the Nation and the world

NIFA’S NEW TAGLINE…

WE WILL PREVENT WHAT CAN AIL YOU

NIFA Director: Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy

Mother of all Wicked Problems…..

7 Billion (2012) à 9 Billion (2050)

“Baby” Wicked Problems… Food, hunger, poverty, health,

water, environment, energy, climate

change

7 Billion (2012) à 9 Billion (2050)

Changing paradigm…farm-to-fork to Farmà Forkà Healthy Outcomes

Food Safety

Nutrition Food security Healthy Foods Food Quality

Health Education

Biology ↔ Culture ↔ Behavior

↨

In order to promote better health outcomes we must understand the Nexus between:

NIFA: National Program Leadership & Federal Assistance

•  Identify & meet National research, extension & education needs

•  Provide formula and competitive grants

v  Challenge Area Programs v Integrated, Multidisciplinary, Multi-institutional,

achieving significant impacts in short periods

v Foundational Area Programs v Basic research, $500K, single function

v NIFA Fellows Program v Pre-doctoral & postdoctoral grants

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

1.  Food Security--Keep American agriculture competitive while ending world hunger

2.  Childhood Obesity--Improve nutrition and end childhood obesity

3.  Food Safety--Improve food safety for all Americans

4.  Bioenergy--Secure America’s energy future through renewable biofuels

5.  Climate Change--Mitigate and adapt agriculture to variations in climate

AFRI: Goals of Five Challenge Areas

Balancing Act Research Extension

Education

AFRI: Achieving Outcomes…

Ecology Detection

Survival/Fate

Food Safety Training

Risk

Control/Reduction

Occurrence

Undergraduate

University

Producers Consumers

online

Pamphlets/ Info sheets

Graduate

K-12

Evaluation

Labor Force

Public Health

Retail

Teachers

eXtension

Prof Dev Workshops

2010 AFRI Food Safety Research Focus

~$100M over next 5 yrs •  Shiga-toxigenic E. coli in beef

• Viruses in food • Education

• Critical and Emerging Issues in Food Safety

• Processing Technologies • Food-borne pathogen-plant interactions

Comprehensive Approach to Science: REE Action Plan for USDA Science

•  Vision to deliver the research, tools, & statistical data needed to meet the needs of USDA and the country

USDA REE Action Plan 7 Goals

1.  Local and Global Food Supply and Security 2.  Responding to Climate & Energy Needs 3.  Sustainable Use of Resources 4.  Nutrition & Childhood Obesity 5.  Food Safety 6.  Education & Science Literacy 7.  Rural Prosperity/Rural-Urban Interdependence

www.ree.usda.gov

USDA Science: Organizing Research Around Problem Solving

•  Research, Education, and Economics (REE) agencies –  Agriculture Research Service –  National Institute of Food and

Agriculture –  Economic Research Service –  National Agriculture Statistics

Service

Food Safety

REE Role: Provide science that informs decisions & policies that contribute to a safe food supply & the

reduction of foodborne (FB) hazards

v 6 Strategies & Actions

www.ree.usda.gov

REE Sister Agencies: Quarterly Reporting…

•  Activities •  Impacts •  Outcomes **Keep the program updated so we can highlight your activities in quarterly and annual reports. Contact program lead for the program.

2012/13 AFRI Challenge Area: Food Safety Program

•  3 program priority areas: –  Antibiotic resistance –  Produce safety –  Emerging Issues –  LOI deadlines have passed

•  RFA located on NIFA website: www.nifa.usda.gov

AFRI: Food Safety Foundational Program

•  2013 Foundational RFA LOI deadlines in November!

•  Up to $6 Million for food safety priorities

•  RFA located on NIFA website:

www.nifa.usda.gov

AFRI NIFA Fellowships Grants Program

• Pre-doctoral (PhD candidate; $75K; 2 yr) • Post-doctoral ($130K; 2 yr)

• ~30% success rate

NIFA Stakeholder Input •  Contact National Program Leaders

–  www.nifa.usda.gov –  Jthurston@nifa.usda.gov

•  Written Comments: –  Policy and Oversight Division; Office of Grants and

Financial Management; National Institute of Food and Agriculture; USDA; STOP 2299; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20250-2299;

–  E-mail to: RFP-OGFM@nifa.usda.gov.

•  Formal Stakeholder Meetings

Other Activities & Update…

•  Farm Bill-~$130M –  Expiration of Programs ex., SCRI, OREI, BFRDP

•  Sequestration –  Automatic budget cuts; 8% on Jan 2

•  2014 AFRI Food Safety program •  National Academies Review of AFRI

•  NIFA Strategic Plan

Thank you!!