USDA invests $9M to increase adoption of climate-smart practices

This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

The US Department of Agriculture has announced a $9 million investment in new Cooperative Extension and USDA Climate Hubs partnerships to bolster climate research and connect and share climate-smart solutions directly with the agricultural community.
 
“The Cooperative Extension system and the USDA Climate Hubs have unmatched capacity to reach agricultural, Tribal and undeserved communities, as well as educators and students, and our nation’s farmers directly,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
 
This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the nation’s leading competitive grants programme for agricultural sciences. This new AFRI program area provides effective, translatable and scalable approaches to address climate change through regional partnerships, including the USDA Climate Hubs, and further extends outreach through organisations such as the Cooperative Extension Service.
 
“These new NIFA-funded projects will work toward net-zero emissions in agriculture, working lands and communities adapted to climate change, training a diverse workforce that can communicate and incorporate climate considerations into management and climate justice that is appropriate for unique US agronomic conditions,” said NIFA Director Dr Carrie Castille.

The initial six funded projects include:

• University of California (Davis) 
• Pennsylvania State University 
• Montana State University 
• Ohio State University 
• The Desert Research Institute Native Climate 
• The USDA Caribbean Climate Hub 

This investment is part of the National