The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is the largest federal agricultural research competitive grant program. In May 2019, AFRI released its fiscal year (FY) 2020 Request for Applications (RFA) for its Foundational and Applied Science Program, which was recently updated and re-released by USDA. The purpose of AFRI’s “Foundational” program is to invest in research, education, and extension projects that support more sustainable, productive, and economically viable agricultural systems. Specifically, the program’s focus is to drive innovation to improve farm efficiency, sustainability, rural communities, human nutrition, as well as mitigating food waste and advancing classical breeding.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) estimates $192.6 million will be available in FY 2020 for the foundational and applied science program.