Hatch regular funding is use to conduct agricultural research at the university of puerto rico, state agricultural experiment station (UPR-AES)

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Puerto Rico, Estacion Experimental Agricola $7.134596 million in Hatch Act formula funding on October 1, 2025, for agricultural research conducted through the Payments to Agricultural Experiment Stations Under the Hatch Act program (CFDA 10.203).

The funded research addresses four critical priority areas identified by local stakeholders: food security and plant and animal production systems; extreme weather, environment, natural resources, and sustainable energy; food safety, science, and technology; and community, economy, and sustainable development. Research activities include strategies to increase crop production, crop management and marketing efficiency, evaluation of disease-resistant crop varieties and vector management practices, introduction of new germplasm addressing production constraints, and evaluation of production under protected structures. The program also supports integrated management practices for major pests and diseases, improvement in biological efficiency of livestock production through characterization of slick-haired Holsteins and Senepol breeds, enhancement of small ruminant breeding in the tropics, and successful adaptations to extreme weather events based on risk exposure assessments. The overall goal is regeneration of a sustainable food-producing sector in the context of extreme weather conditions and demographic challenges.

Work is performed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a period of performance from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. The award reaches farmers, rural communities, food-related industries, scientists, extension specialists, government officials, environmental and conservation stakeholders, students, and professors.

Supported research activities are broad and include the most important priorities local stakeholders identified in four critical issues: 1-food security, plant and animal production systems, 2-extreme weather, environment, natural resources & sustainable energy, 3-food safety, science and technology, and 4-community, economy, and sustainable development. Our main priorities were to improve the island's food security and the resiliency of our natural and socioeconomic systems. The long term goal is the regeneration of a sustainable food producing sector in the context of extreme weather conditions and demographic challenges. Stakeholders of our programs include a diversity of audiences: farmers, rural communities, food-related industries, scientists and extension specialists, government officials, environmental and conservation concerned public, students and professors, among others. Supported activities include research on: 1-strategies to increase crop production, crop management and marketing efficiency; evaluation of disease resistant crop varieties and practices for the management of vectors; introduction of new germplasm addressing production constraints, or promising new crops; evaluation of production under protected structures; continued surveillance of our current farming systems, and development of integrated management practices for major pests and diseases affecting our most important crops. 2- improvement in the biological efficiency of livestock production, establishment of improved forages, economic returns to producers, and practices that promote extreme weather resilience. Initiatives are focused in the characterization of slick-haired holsteins and senepol breeds and enhancing small ruminant breeding in the tropics. 3-successful adaptations to extreme weather events based on risk exposure assessments and agricultural biodiversity practices; soil quality and best management practices, mitigation of threats to water quality, micro irrigation technologies for water conservation and improved crop productivity, as well as the identification and protection of natural enemies of harmful insect pests.