USDA/NIFA announces $12.1 million to support crop protection and pest management

Date:03-09-2017

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently announced $12.1 in available funding through the Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) Competitive Grants Program.

“Pests, including insects and other arthropods, microbial pathogens, weeds, and vertebrates pose threats to U.S. food security,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “NIFA-funded discoveries offer sustainable, economically viable solutions to manage these biological constraints to food production.”

The CPPM program supports research and extension projects that address critical state, regional, and national integrated pest management (IPM) needs, ensure food security, and respond to other major pest challenges. The program encourages projects that establish communication networks and stakeholder participation to increase the impact of the research. In FY 2017, NIFA will competitively solicit only the Applied Research and Development Program Area (ARDP) and the Extension Implementation Program Area (EIP) applications under the CPPM program.  The anticipated amount available for grants in FY 2017 is approximately $4.1 for ARDP and $8 million for EIP.

Eligible applicants include colleges and universities, including Hispanic-serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACUs), and research foundations maintained by eligible colleges or universities.

The deadline for applications is May 9.

See the request for applications for details.

Since 2014, NIFA has invested more than $48 million through CPPM. Among previously funded projects, Pennsylvania State University is adapting novel nanotube technology to be able to detect plant pathogens on crops earlier in the infection cycle. This research is designed to give farmers faster tools to monitor the health of their crops. A University of Georgia research and extension project is studying the highly damaging insect pest of peanuts, the peanut burrower bug. The outcomes of this project will provide growers tools to determine the risk to individual fields from this pest and treatment recommendations.

NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and extension and promotes transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA support for the best and brightest scientists and extension personnel has resulted in user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries that combat childhood obesity, improve and sustain rural economic growth, address water availability issues, increase food production, find new sources of energy, mitigate climate variability and ensure food safety.