USDA invests in research on next generation of agricultural technology

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced 17 grants for research on the next generation of agricultural technologies and systems to meet the growing demand for food, fuel, and fiber. The grants are funded through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

“Technology is front and center in agricultural production,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “NIFA is investing in research on precision and smart technologies to maximize production efficiencies, including water and fertilizer use, and to produce nutritious food, new biofuels, and bioproducts.”

AFRI is America’s flagship competitive grants program for foundational and translational research, education, and extension projects in the food and agricultural sciences. AFRI’s Agriculture Systems and Technology grants support the design and engineering of agricultural production systems and research on the burgeoning field of biomass, biofuels, feedstock, bioenergy, and bio-based products. These projects are expected to spur innovation in rural America and contribute to rural prosperity.

Included among the grants announced today is a University of California Riverside project that uses electronics and chemistry to recover high-quality water, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and energy from agricultural wastewater. Also, researchers at the University of Nebraska are developing an efficient irrigation system that combines imaging sensors on unmanned aerial vehicles, predictions of crop water use, and water sensors in soil.

Fiscal Year 2016 grants totaling $7.3 million included:

Agricultural Engineering

University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, Kentucky, $500,000
University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, Kentucky, $498,726
Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, $149,983
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, $499,998
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, $499,978
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, $499,916
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, $499,896
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, $50,000
Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, $312,238

Bioprocessing and Bioengineering

Auburn University, Auburn University, Alabama, $481,539
University of California, Riverside, California, $480,843
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, $472,965
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, Iowa, $482,905
Sustainable Bioproducts LLC, Bozeman, Montana, $482,829
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, $482,448
University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, $482,905
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, $482,752

For more information:
go.usa.gov/xRw2p