Extension Opportunities in NIFA's AFRI Program

Rick Koelsch, Nebraska Extension, February 18, 2015

The 2015 Agricultural Food Research Initiative (AFRI) requests for proposals are beginning to be released.  Many of these RFA's include  Extension opportunities generally as a part of an Integrated Project.  A summary of early opportunities follows.

The AFRI "Food Security" RFA is available with the first deadlines coming on April 2. NIFA is soliciting applications under the following areas: (1) Agricultural Production Systems (2) Breeding and Genomics of Crops and Livestock (3) National Strategy for Sustainable Crop and Livestock Production in the United States.  The Agricultural Production Systems program will fund only Integrated projects (which can include Extension) in three broad areas of Crop Management, Animal Management, and Integrated Management.  This program funds Coordinated Agricultural Projects for up to $1 Million per year for up to 4 years. Stakeholder engagement, needs assessment, strategies to achieve and measure impacts, and knowledge dissemination and accessibility are specifically mentioned as project requirements. Other program areas are identified as Research/Education and Research focused programs.

The Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Human Science Education and Literacy Initiative was release before Christmas with deadlines already past.  However, a quick review of this program's RFA may give you ideas about opportunities for next year's program.  The goals of this RFA are to 1) promote research and extension experiential learning form undergraduates entering the agricultural workforce and 2) preparing the next generation of scientists for doctoral and post-doctoral experiences.  The Undergraduate Fellowship program targets both research and extension experiential learning opportunities.  West Central Research and Extension Center faculty have submitted a letter of intent for competing in this fellowship opportunity and may be a future resource from which we can learn.  The predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships are designed to encourage new professionals to enter research, education , and extension fields. Could these programs provide a unique opportunity to engage students in Extension programs such as participatory research (e.g. On-Farm Research or Soybean Field Days)?

Additional RFA's are anticipated for AFRI's Foundational program, Climate Change/Variability, Food Safety, Childhood Obesity, Water for Agriculture, and Sustainable BioEnergy. You can stay abreast of AFRI RFA releases at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/rfas/afri.html