Dear Colleagues,
NIFA requests applications for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) for fiscal year (FY) 2020 to solve critical organic agriculture issues, priorities, or problems through the integration of research, education, and extension activities. OREI funds research, education, and extension programs that enhance the ability of producers and processors who have already adopted organic standards to grow and market high quality organic agricultural products. Priority concerns include biological, physical, and social sciences, including economics. The OREI is particularly interested in projects that emphasize research, education and outreach that assist farmers and ranchers with whole farm planning by delivering practical research-based information. Projects should plan to deliver applied production information to producers. Fieldwork must be done on certified organic land or on land in transition to organic certification, as appropriate to project goals and objectives.
The purpose of this program is to fund high priority integrated projects. Integrated project applications must include research and at least one additional element of the other two functions of the agricultural knowledge system (education and extension). To accommodate projects differing in scope, three types of integrated project proposals are offered.
a. Multi-Regional Proposals. Proposals addressing program priorities with a maximum award amount of $2,000,000. These are large coordinated projects addressing critical issues that cut across multiple regions. An advisory panel is required for multi-regional proposals.
b. Regional Proposals. Proposals addressing program priorities with a maximum award amount of $1,000,000. These are multidisciplinary projects addressing issues that may be limited to a single region.
c. Targeted Proposals. Proposals addressing specific critical constraints with a maximum award amount of $500,000, reflecting the possibly narrower scope of these projects or locality-specific nature. All eligible applicants may submit Targeted proposals.
The anticipated amount available for OREI in FY 2020 is $20 million. Awards will be made as grants. If a grant provides a particular benefit to a specific agricultural commodity, the grant recipient is required to match the USDA funds awarded on a dollar-for-dollar basis from non-Federal sources with cash and/or in-kind contributions.
Priorities for FY 2020: Proposals are encouraged in the following areas as defined in the legislation (not listed in order of importance):
- Conduct advanced on-farm crop, livestock, or integrated livestock-crop research and development that emphasize observation of, experimentation with, and innovation for organic farms, including production, marketing, and socioeconomic considerations. These issues could include both identification of factors reducing yields, efficiency, productivity, and economic returns on organic farms and the economic and socioeconomic contributions of organic farming to producers, processors and local communities. This priority includes studies that help producers monitor and improve soil health and fertility.
- Develop and demonstrate educational tools for Cooperative Extension personnel and other professionals who advise producers on organic practices. Applications bringing end-users together with OREI-funded research, education, and extension teams are encouraged. Coordination of the development of online content with eXtension and the eOrganic Community of Practice is encouraged, but is not a requirement for a successful application.
- For both plant and animal–based organic products: evaluate, develop, and improve allowable post-harvest handling, processing, and food safety practices to reduce toxins and microbial contamination, while increasing shelf-life, quality, and other economically important characteristics.
- Strengthen organic crop propagation systems, including seed and transplant production and protection, and plant breeding for organic production conditions, with an emphasis on publicly available releases. Goals of organic breeding and propagation systems proposals can include, but are not limited to: disease, weed, and pest resistance; stress tolerance; nutrient use efficiency; performance in soil-improving and climate-friendly systems such as organic no-till; quality and yield improvement; and genetic mechanisms to prevent inadvertent introduction of GMO traits through cross-pollination. This priority includes cover crop breeding for enhanced performance in organic systems. Projects dealing solely with cultivar evaluation do not fit under this priority.
- Explore technologies that meet the requirements of the National Organic Program (NOP1) and protect soil, water, and other natural resources. This includes developing, improving, and evaluating systems-based integrated management programs to address diseases, nematodes, weeds and insect pests-related problems for organically grown crops. Systems-based evaluations can include the safety and efficacy of allowable pest management materials and practices. Proposals addressing organic management of diseases, nematodes, weeds, and insect pests in the Southern Region are especially encouraged.
- Develop or improve systems-based animal production, animal health, and pest management practices to improve animal productivity, health, and welfare while retaining or enhancing economic viability, including, but not limited to: grazing and pasture-based systems (including rotational grazing), integrated livestock-crop systems, and the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) confinement standards.
- Breed, evaluate, and select animal breeds and genotypes adapted to organic systems. This would include but is not restricted to: identification of and selection for pest, parasite, and disease resistance; health and performance under organic pasture and feed regimens such as management intensive rotational grazing and multispecies grazing; and performance in small, mixed, or other innovative farming operations.
- Develop new undergraduate and/or graduate curriculum for organic agriculture. Education activities under this priority may include instructional delivery programs and experiential learning for students enrolled in associate, baccalaureate, masters, and Ph.D. degree programs.
- Identify marketing, policy, and other socioeconomic barriers to the expansion of organic agriculture in the United States and develop strategies to address them. Lobbying and advocacy activities are not appropriate under this priority.
NIFA strongly encourages applicants to consult with organic producers and/or processors before developing project applications. Producers and/or processors should play an important and active role in developing project goals and objectives; implementing the plan; and evaluating and disseminating project results and outcomes. Projects must involve work that is viewed by stakeholders as both necessary and important. There is an expectation that a local and/or regional advisory panel will inform the project throughout its life, including ongoing identification and prioritization of research, education, and extension objectives. An outcome-oriented plan for disseminating information derived from project work must be an integral part of the project and described. This information delivery plan should consider a number of delivery systems and methods. The metrics for evaluating research, education, and extension outcomes should be clearly described and appropriate to project goals.
Applications are due January 30, 2020. To obtain the application package from Grants.gov, go to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/download-application-package.html and enter the funding opportunity number, USDA-NIFA-ICGP-007012, where appropriate.
For additional information about this opportunity, please review the full RFA at https://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/rfa/FY2020-OAREI-RFA-20191206.pdf
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)