FY-21-22-AFRI-FAS-Mod-V2-508.pdf

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program

03/16/2021 Modifications: All substantive modifications and additional edits appear in red.

Foundational and Applied Science Program

Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 and 2022 Request for Applications

LETTER OF INTENT DEADLINE: Varies by Program Area APPLICATION DEADLINE: Varies by Program Area

ELIGIBILITY: See Part III, A of this RFA

This RFA solicits applications for two review cycles (2021 and 2022) covering three years of budgets (FY 2021, FY 2022, and FY 2023). Applicants considering applying to the 2022 review cycle should check the AFRI RFA webpage and www.grants.gov after December 15, 2021 for the 2022 Funding Opportunity Number and Application Kit, as well as for any other changes.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

AGRICULTURE

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH INITIATIVE COMPETITIVE GRANTS

PROGRAM

FOUNDATIONAL AND APPLIED SCIENCE PROGRAM

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE: This program is listed in the Assistance Listings under the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number 10.310.

DATES FOR LETTERS OF INTENT AND APPLICATIONS: The Program Area Descriptions section in Part I, C of this RFA identifies the applicability of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and, if applicable, the deadline date for its submission is also found in the same section. If a LOI is required, applicant must submit it by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the LOI deadline date. This RFA solicits applications for two review cycles (2021 and 2022). Applications for the 2021 review cycle must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the 2021 deadline dates indicated in Part I, C of this RFA, Program Area Descriptions. Applications for the 2022 review cycle must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the 2022 deadline dates indicated in Part I, C of this RFA, Program Area Descriptions.

Applications received after these deadlines will normally not be considered for funding (see Part IV, C of this RFA). Comments regarding this request for applications (RFA) are requested within six (6) months from the issuance of this notice. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.

STAKEHOLDER INPUT: We at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) seek your comments about this request for applications (RFA). We will consider your comments when we develop the next RFA for the program, if applicable, and we will use them to meet the requirements of section 103(c)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7613(c)(2)). Submit your written comments by the deadline set forth in the DATES portion of this notice via email to Policy@usda.gov. (This email address is only for receiving comments regarding this RFA and not for requesting information or forms.) In your comments, please state that you are responding to the Foundational and Applied Science RFA.

Visit the NIFA Centers of Excellence website to access a factsheet on the Centers of Excellence (COE) designation process, including COE criteria, and a list of programs offering COE opportunities.

NIFA solicits proposed topics for Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) RFAs from eligible state and national commodity boards on an ongoing basis. Topics must relate to the established AFRI six priority areas. Topics submitted by the commodity boards that align with NIFA priorities are chosen for inclusion in selected program areas of AFRI RFAs. Details on general information and topic submission resources for inclusion in future AFRI RFAs can be found at NIFA's Commodity Board Provision website.

mailto:Policy@usda.gov.

https://nifa.usda.gov/centers-excellence https://nifa.usda.gov/program/agriculture-and-food-research-initiative-afri https://nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards

Applicants are encouraged to view the Program Area Descriptions beginning in Part I, C of this RFA for additional details on commodity board-specific priorities and submission of applications relevant to these priorities.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is America’s flagship competitive grants program that provides funding for fundamental and applied research, education, and extension projects in the food and agricultural sciences. In this RFA, NIFA requests applications for six AFRI priority areas through the Foundational and Applied Science Program for 2021 and 2022. Applicants considering applying to the second year should check the AFRI RFA webpage and www.grants.gov. The goal of this program is to invest in agricultural production research, education, and extension projects for more sustainable, productive and economically viable plant and animal production systems. The global agricultural output needs to be expanded significantly to meet the food needs of the population expected in 2050; thus, it is imperative to develop innovative, safe and sustainable management strategies for livestock, crops, and critical underlying resources.

In 2021 and 2022, applications are sought in the following priority areas:

1. Plant health and production and plant products;

2. Animal health and production and animal products;

3. Food safety, nutrition, and health;

4. Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment;

5. Agriculture systems and technology; and

6. Agriculture economics and rural communities

The anticipated amount available for new grants for the 2021 deadlines in this Foundational and Applied Science RFA is approximately $290 million. The anticipated amount available for new grants for the 2022 deadlines in this Foundational and Applied Science RFA is approximately $290 million.

This RFA is being released prior to the passage of appropriation acts for FY 2021, FY 2022, and FY 2023. Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an appropriations act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program.

This RFA solicits Standard Grants, Conference Grants, Coordinated Agricultural Project Grants, and Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants, whereas project types solicited in this RFA are Research, Extension and Integrated Research, Education and/or Extension projects.

Grant types and project types solicited vary by program area priority and not all grant types are solicited within each program area priority. See Part I, C (Program Area Descriptions) of this RFA for grant and project types solicited by each specific program area priority, and Part II, C of this RFA for a description of each individual grant type and project type.

This notice identifies the objectives for the AFRI Foundational and Applied Science program including program priorities, deadline dates, funding information, eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for an AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program grant.

https://www.nifa.usda.gov/afri-request-applications https://www.nifa.usda.gov/afri-request-applications http://www.grants.gov/

The deadlines under this RFA are summarized as follows:

Priority Area*

Program Area 2021 Review Cycle Deadlines**

2022 Review Cycle Deadlines**

PHPPP a. Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems

June 17, 2021 September 15, 2022

PHPPP b. Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products May 20, 2021 August 18, 2022 PHPPP c. Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production

Systems May 27, 2021 August 25, 2022

PHPPP d. Physiology of Agricultural Plants May 20, 2021 August 18, 2022 PHPPP e. Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production May 20, 2021 August 18, 2022 PHPPP f. Pollinator Health: Research and Application May 27, 2021 August 25, 2022 PHPPP g. Conventional Plant Breeding for Cultivar Development May 20, 2021 August 18, 2022 AHPAP a. Animal Reproduction May 6, 2021 August 11, 2022 AHPAP b. Animal Nutrition, Growth and Lactation May 6, 2021 August 11, 2022 AHPAP c. Welfare and Well-being of Agricultural Animals May 6, 2021 August 11, 2022 AHPAP d. Diseases of Agricultural Animals May 6, 2021 August 11, 2022 AHPAP e. Animal Breeding and Functional Annotation of Genomes May 6, 2021 August 11, 2022 FSNH a. Food Safety and Defense May 27, 2021 August 25, 2022 FSNH b. Novel Foods and Innovative Manufacturing Technologies June 10, 2021 September 1, 2022 FSNH c. Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases May 27, 2021 August 25, 2022 FSNH d. Food and Human Health June 10, 2021 September 1, 2022 FSNH e. Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance Across the Food Chain June 10, 2021 September 1, 2022 BNRE a. Soil Health June 10, 2021 September 1, 2022 BNRE b. Water Quantity and Quality June 10, 2021 September 1, 2022 BNRE c. Sustainable Bioeconomy through Biobased Products June 10, 2021 September 1, 2022 BNRE d. Sustainable Agroecosystems: Health, Functions, Processes and Management June 17, 2021 September 15, 2022

AST a. Engineering for Agricultural Production Systems July 15, 2021 October 6, 2022 AST b. Bioprocessing and Bioengineering July 1, 2021 September 29, 2022 AST c. Nanotechnology for Agricultural and Food Systems May 27, 2021 August 25, 2022 AERC a. Small and Medium-Sized Farms June 24, 2021 September 22, 2022 AERC b. Economics, Markets and Trade July 15, 2021 October 6, 2022 AERC c. Economic and Social Implications of Food and Agricultural

Technologies July 15, 2021 October 6, 2022

AERC d. Rural Economic Development June 17, 2021 September 15, 2022 Crosscutting a. Agricultural Microbiomes in Plant Systems and Natural

Resources July 15, 2021 October 6, 2022

Crosscutting b. Critical Agricultural Research and Extension (CARE) June 17, 2021 September 15, 2022 Crosscutting c. Data Science for Food and Agricultural Systems (DSFAS) July 29, 2021 October 20, 2022 Crosscutting d. Inter-Disciplinary Engagement in Animal Systems (IDEAS) July 15, 2021 October 6, 2022 Crosscutting e. Tactical Sciences for Agricultural Biosecurity July 22, 2021 October 20, 2022

* PHPPP=Plant Health and Production and Plant Products, AHPAP=Animal Health and Production and Animal Products;

FSNH=Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health; BNRE=Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment; AST=Agriculture Systems and Technology; AERC=Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities; Crosscutting=Crosscutting Programs

** All applications must be received by 5 p.m. EST on the deadline date.

Beginning in 2021:

• This RFA covers two grant review cycles, one with 2021 deadlines and one with 2022 deadlines. For applications received under the 2021 deadlines, funding from FY 2021 and FY 2022 budgets will be used. For the 2022 review cycle, funding from FY 2022 and FY 2023 budgets will be used.

• All applicants who meet the eligibility requirement as a New Investigator (see Part II, C), will also be eligible to apply for a seed grant, as well as for a New Investigator (standard) grant. While all seed grant applications submitted to a program area priority will be evaluated together, seed grant applications from New Investigators will not compete for funding with applications from strengthening-eligible (see Part II, C) institutions. More information about seed grants is located on the AFRI RFA Resources page (“AFRI Grant Types” in the attachments list).

• Year-round conference grant applications are accepted after submission of the Letter of Intent, see Part I, C of this RFA for more information on which programs accept conference grants. The LOI must be submitted at least 195 days before the start of the conference. The full Conference Grant application must be submitted, at minimum, 150 days before the start of the conference.

• The addition of a new program area priority within Plant Health and Production and Plant Products: Conventional Plant Breeding for Cultivar Development program area priority (A1143).

https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/afri-request-applications-resources

Table of Contents

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority B. Purpose and Priorities C. Program Area Descriptions

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding B. Types of Applications C. Project Types and Grant Types D. Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research

PART III—ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants B. Request for Determination of Status C. Cost Sharing or Matching D. Centers of Excellence

PART IV—APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Letter of Intent B. Electronic Application Package C. Content and Form of Application Submission D. Submission Dates and Times E. Funding Restrictions F. Other Submission Requirements

PART V—APPLICATION REVIEW REQUIREMENTS

A. General B. Evaluation Criteria C. Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality D. Organizational Management Information E. Application Disposition

PART VI—AWARD ADMINISTRATION

A. General B. Award Notice C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements D. Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research E. Expected Program Outputs and Reporting Requirements

PART VII—AGENCY CONTACTS

PART VIII—OTHER INFORMATION

A. Use of Funds; Changes B. Confidential Aspects of Applications and Awards C. Regulatory Information D. Definitions E. Materials Available on the Internet

Table 1: Program Area Priority Contacts Table 2: Administrative/Business Contacts

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority

Section 2(b) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (hereafter referred to as the Act) (7 U.S.C. 3157), as amended, authorizes the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), a competitive grant program to provide funding for fundamental and applied research, education, and extension to address food and agricultural sciences in the following six priority areas:

1. Plant health and production and plant products;

2. Animal health and production and animal products;

3. Food safety, nutrition, and health;

4. Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment;

5. Agriculture systems and technology; and

6. Agriculture economics and rural communities.

To the maximum extent practicable, NIFA, in coordination with the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE), will make grants for high priority research, education, and extension, taking into consideration, when available, the determinations made by the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board (NAREEEAB) pursuant to the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157). The Secretary delegates the authority to the Under Secretary in 7 CFR 2.21, and the Under Secretary delegates that authority to NIFA.

B. Purpose and Priorities

The purpose of AFRI is to support research, education, and extension work by awarding grants to solve key problems of local, regional, national, and global importance in sustaining conventional, organic, and urban agricultural systems. These include farm efficiency, profitability and sustainability; ranching; bioenergy; forestry; aquaculture; rural communities and entrepreneurship; human nutrition; mitigating impacts of biotic and abiotic constraints on food production; food safety; mitigating food waste and food loss; physical and social sciences;

home economics and rural human ecology; biotechnology; and classical breeding. Through this support, AFRI advances knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture. Funding this work also allows AFRI to support education and extension activities that deliver science-based knowledge to end users, allowing them to make informed, practical decisions. This AFRI RFA provides funding for research-only, extension-only, and integrated research, education, and/or extension projects addressing the six priorities identified in Part I, A.

Food and agricultural systems are under the constraints of a growing population; pressure on natural resources; challenges of climate variability and change; and complex demands of ensuring nutritional security and food safety in a global economy. Addressing these challenges requires research, education, extension, and integrated programs in concert with agroecological approaches that increase agricultural and natural resource sustainability. The term ''sustainable agriculture'' (7 U.S.C. 3103) means a combined system of plant and animal production practice having a site-specific application that will, over the long-term, achieve the following goals: 1) satisfy human food and fiber needs; 2) enhance environmental quality and the natural resource https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:7%20section:3157%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section3157)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:7%20section:3157%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section3157)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:7%20section:3157%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section3157)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=fb71e0bdd8201139683f371c33f35d70&mc=true&node=se7.1.2_121&rgn=div8 base upon which the agricultural economy depends; 3) make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; 4) sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and 5) enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole. AFRI encourages projects addressing enhancement of sustainability of agricultural systems.

NIFA supports global engagement that advances U.S. agricultural goals. To attain the agency's goals for U.S. agriculture, global competence of our nation’s agricultural workforce, and safe and nutritious food security in a growing world, NIFA recognizes that collaboration with international partners through AFRI can contribute to advances in U.S. agriculture. In an increasingly interconnected world, these U.S. advances may have global importance. Thus, applicants to this RFA may include collaborations with international partners. However, only eligible U.S. institutions may apply. Such applications may include subawards to international partners or other institutions and must clearly demonstrate benefits to the U.S. Additional guidance on including international activities is provided on the AFRI International Partnerships website.

Stakeholder Input The AFRI Stakeholder Feedback page has information on AFRI-related stakeholder input.

Background AFRI is NIFA’s flagship competitive grants programs for food and agricultural sciences, and funding is offered through the Foundational and Applied Science, Sustainable Agricultural Systems, and Education and Workforce Development Requests for Applications for addressing critical societal issues.

The Foundational and Applied Science RFA program areas address the following priorities as well as all included subpriorities:

A. Plant Health and Production and Plant Products;

B. Animal Health and Production and Animal Products;

C. Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health;

D. Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment;

E. Agriculture Systems and Technology; and F. Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities.

This AFRI RFA aligns with six USDA strategic goals:

• Strategic Goal 2: Maximize the Ability of American Agricultural Producers To Prosper by Feeding and Clothing the World;

• Strategic Goal 3: Promote American Agricultural Products and Exports;

• Strategic Goal 4: Facilitate Rural Prosperity and Economic Development;

• Strategic Goal 5: Strengthen the Stewardship of Private Lands Through Technology and

Research;

• Strategic Goal 6: Ensure Productive and Sustainable Use of Our National Forest System

Lands; and

• Strategic Goal 7: Provide All Americans Access to a Safe, Nutritious, and Secure Food

Supply https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/afri-international-partnerships https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/afri-stakeholder-feedback

C. Program Area Descriptions

This AFRI RFA includes seven program areas. The program areas and their respective approximate funding amounts for each review cycle include (available funding in millions):

1. Plant health and production and plant products ($66)

2. Animal health and production and animal products ($55)

3. Food safety, nutrition, and health ($39)

4. Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment ($33)

5. Agriculture systems and technology ($29)

6. Agriculture economics and rural communities ($34)

7. Crosscutting programs ($32)

Plant Health and Production and Plant Products

Background Monumental gains in American crop productivity over the past 60 years are the result of innovations in agricultural production practices, plant breeding, and pest management. The goal of the Plant Health and Production and Plant Products (PHPPP) program area is to ensure continued production gains are achieved through break-through discoveries and the translation of these into plant production and protection practices. The outcomes of these projects are expected to increase production efficiencies and combat persistent threats and new challenges that limit the achievement of dependable yields across variable growing conditions.

Plant-based agriculture is changing with the introduction of new engineering, technology, and information tools. Further improvements to plant agriculture will require a greater understanding of complex, inter-related factors, across a wide range of scales. These include investigations of plant and pest biology at the molecular, cellular, whole-organism, and systems levels to increase performance and provide protection from biotic and abiotic stressors. New traits are being discovered and varieties developed using gene editing and other advanced breeding methods.

Optimal integration of production system components is sought to ensure practices and products are safe for consumers and achieved with good stewardship of natural resources and efficient use of human capital. By supporting extension programming and training the next generation of scientists, new technologies will be made readily available to end-users and put into practice.

This strategy will ensure that the United States continues to be a leader in the agricultural sciences and a reliable source for the expanding domestic and global demand for an abundant and secure supply of food, feed, natural fibers, wood, and other plant-based products.

In addition to the program area priorities described in this section, the PHPPP program area also supports the following program area priorities:

1. Agricultural Microbiomes in Plant Systems and Natural Resources (A1402) and Tactical Sciences for Agricultural Biosecurity (A1181) program area priorities are described in Crosscutting Programs.

2. Plant Biotic Interactions will be offered through an interagency program with the National Science Foundation; the NIFA program contact is Dr. Ann Lichens-Park, (202) 445-5483 or ann.park@usda.gov.

https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505267 mailto:ann.park@usda.gov

Total Program Funds: Approximately $66 million for each review cycle

Key Information (Applicable to All Plant Health and Production and Plant Products Program Area Priorities):

• All applications must adhere to the requirements in Part IV of this RFA.

• Choice of plant species (including crops, trees, and weeds) and objectives must be justified in terms of importance to agricultural food, feed, fiber, ornamental plants (including turf), planted forest, or industrial crop production systems in the United States.

• Applications from and collaborations with minority-serving institutions, small to mid-sized institutions, and/or institutions within the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) states are encouraged in this program area.

• Applications that include collaborations with international partners may also be submitted. The AFRI International Partnerships webpage contains additional information on international partnerships.

• Applications with highly complex, large scale, transdisciplinary, and integrated research, education, and extension projects that incorporate foundational knowledge from this program area should be submitted to the AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems program (A9201) described in the AFRI SAS RFA.

• An applicant may submit a Conference Grant application anytime during the year. A Letter of Intent (LOI) is required for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted at least 195 days before the start of the conference. The full Conference Grant application must be submitted, at minimum, 150 days before the start of the conference.

Program Area Priorities – Each application must address at least one of the seven program area priorities listed below. Details about each of the PHPPP program area priorities are provided later in this section.

a. Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems

b. Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products

c. Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems

d. Physiology of Agricultural Plants

e. Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production

f. Pollinator Health: Research and Application

g. Conventional Plant Breeding for Cultivar Development https://nifa.usda.gov/program/afri-sas

a. Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems Program Area Priority Code: A1102 Proposed Budget Requests:

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants for research projects must not exceed $650,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods of three to five years.

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants for integrated projects must not exceed $750,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods of three to five years.

• Conference and FASE Grants must adhere to the guidelines outlined in Part II, C(2) of this RFA.

• Requests exceeding the budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed.

Requested Project Types: Research and Integrated Projects only Requested Grant Types: Standard, Conference, and FASE (Strengthening Standard, New

Investigator, Strengthening Conference, Seed, Equipment, and Sabbatical) Grants only Letter of Intent: Required only for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 195 days before the conference begins.

Application Deadlines:

• 2021: Thursday, June 17, 2021 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• 2022: Thursday, September 15, 2022 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Conference Grants: Submitted after LOI decision response and a minimum of 150 days before the conference begins Program Area Priority Contacts:

• Dr. Mathieu Ngouajio, (202) 570-1915 or mathieu.ngouajio@usda.gov

• Dr. John Erickson, (816) 283-6422 or john.erickson@usda.gov

Program Area Priority:

The Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems program supports plant research to advance our knowledge for the wide range of agricultural production systems found across the rural-urban continuum, from conventional open-fields to protected built environments. Research will address critical or process-limiting dynamics that occur among and within the various management components of a production system using experimental manipulations of system components, technological interventions, system analyses, modeling, or agro-ecological approaches. Results are expected to lead to the development of innovative sustainable solutions to challenges limiting or threatening the productivity, profitability, and good stewardship of natural resources, environment, and human capital.

Applications must address one or more of the following:

• Investigate how multiple management components of agricultural production systems can be integrated to enhance soil-crop-atmospheric processes or resilience to various biotic and abiotic stressors, and improve product quality and/or productivity;

• Determine how production systems, including regenerative systems, can alter the structure of microbial communities associated with plants, soils, or other growing media;

the ways alterations affect functions such as plant nutrient uptake/utilization efficiency;

and resilience to weeds, insects, diseases, weather extremes, and other stressors that influence productivity and/or product quality;

• Investigate how changes to cropping systems, including diversification or intensification, mailto:mathieu.ngouajio@usda.gov mailto:john.erickson@usda.gov affect crop performance, soil health, and other outcomes beneficial to system resilience;

or

• Conduct syntheses and meta-analyses of existing data or develop new or extend existing models to derive general principles about the function, properties, and performance of agricultural production systems.

Program Area Priority Additional Information:

• Projects supported by Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems program area priority can serve as building blocks needed for large inter- and trans-disciplinary projects funded by the AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems program.

• Appropriate plant-based production systems for study include food, feed, fiber, ornamental plants (including turf), industrial crops; harvested forages and pastures;

rangelands; and planted forests. Conventional, organic, and protected systems (including hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics, vertical farming, and other controlled environment production systems) are appropriate for study.

• The production system studied could include key management components such as:

integrated crop management, soil or other growing media fertility, soil health, agronomic practices, cover cropping, biodiversification, economics, integrated management of target pests (including arthropods, nematodes, pathogens, and weeds), automation, and worker well-being and safety.

• Development of innovative production systems to optimize the production of high-valued plant-based products are encouraged. Plant-based products may include but are not limited to oil, fiber, nutra- and pharmaceuticals, nutrients, proteins, juices, fragrances, resins, and biopesticides.

• Applicants must ensure applications are submitted to the right program or program area priority, for instance:

1. Applications to study management of pests or beneficial species may be more appropriate for the Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems program area priority (A1112)

2. Applications to study microbiome function may be more appropriate for the Agricultural Microbiomes in Plant Systems and Natural Resources program area priority (A1402 in Crosscutting Programs)

3. Applications to study aquatic animals in aquaponics systems may be more appropriate for the Small and Medium-Sized Farms program area priority (A1601) or the Economics, Markets and Trade program area priority (A1641) described in the Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities program area of this RFA

• The Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems program does not support projects focused on livestock. Please refer to the Animal Health and Production and Animal Products program area, described elsewhere in this RFA.

b. Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products Program Area Priority Code: A1103 Proposed Budget Requests:

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants must not exceed $650,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods of three to five years.

• Conference and FASE Grants must adhere to the guidelines outlined in Part II, C(2) of this RFA.

• Requests exceeding the budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed.

Requested Project Types: Research Projects only Requested Grant Types: Standard, Conference, and FASE (Strengthening Standard, New

Investigator, Strengthening Conference, Seed, Equipment, and Sabbatical) Grants only Letter of Intent: required only for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 195 days before the conference begins.

Application Deadlines:

• 2021: Thursday, May 20, 2021 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• 2022: Thursday, August 18, 2022 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Conference Grants: submitted after LOI decision response and a minimum of 150 days before the conference begins Program Area Priority Contacts:

• Dr. Vance Owens, (816) 283-6925 or vance.owens@usda.gov

• Dr. Victoria Finkenstadt, (816) 908-3147 or victoria.finkenstadt@usda.gov

The Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products program supports projects to study the synthesis of plant-derived, high-value chemicals and ingredients for use in foods, pharmaceuticals, and other natural products. Projects must focus on agriculturally-important plants, including native and minor crop plant species and weeds. Molecular, biochemical, whole-plant, agronomic, or eco-physiological approaches may be used to determine the genetic basis of such traits identified through these studies. The intent of this program is for results to be translated into development of varieties that help create or meet emerging and future markets and contribute towards long-term demand for new agriculturally-based industrial and food products.

Applications must address one or more of the following:

• Macronutrients and/or micronutrient synthesis, accumulation, and/or availability that are beneficial to human health and nutrition;

• Primary and secondary metabolism regulating the synthesis of plant metabolites and its chemical ingredients that improve the quality of food and/or feed; or

• Plant-based chemicals that have industrial and/or pharmaceutical relevance.

Program Area Priority Additional Information:

• Applications that address topics related to medicinal studies or alternatively plant defense compounds are not appropriate for this program area priority.

mailto:vance.owens@usda.gov mailto:victoria.finkenstadt@usda.gov

c. Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems Program Area Priority Code: A1112 Proposed Budget Requests:

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants must not exceed $750,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods of three to five years.

• Conference and FASE Grants must adhere to the guidelines outlined in Part II, C(2) of this RFA.

• Applications exceeding the budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed.

Requested Project Types: Research-only and Integrated Projects (Research and Extension) only Requested Grant Types: Standard, Conference, and FASE (Strengthening Standard, New

Investigator, Strengthening Conference, Seed, Equipment, and Sabbatical) Grants only Letter of Intent: required only for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 195 days before the conference begins.

Application Deadlines:

• 2021: Thursday, May 27, 2021 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• 2022: Thursday, August 25, 2022 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Conference Grants: submitted after LOI decision response and a minimum of 150 days before the conference begins Program Area Priority Contact:

• Dr. Erica Kistner-Thomas, (816) 894-9283 or erica.kistnerthomas@usda.gov

Program Area Priority:

The goal of the Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems program is to advance knowledge of invasive or established plant pests and associated beneficial species leading to innovative and biologically-based strategies to manage pests. Appropriate plant-based agricultural production systems for study include food and fiber crops, ornamental plants (including turf), and managed grasslands, rangelands and planted forests. Conventional, organic, and protected systems (including hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics, vertical farming, and other controlled environment agricultural systems) are appropriate for study. Pests may include invertebrates, plant pathogens and/or their vectors, nematodes or weeds. Beneficial species in this program will be restricted to biological control agents and microbes that play a role in pest management. Molecular, organismal, population, and/or community approaches are appropriate to this program. Both foundational and translational projects are encouraged.

Applications must address one or more of the following:

• Biotic and abiotic factors, affecting the abundance or spread of agriculturally-important plant pests, disease vectors, or beneficial species relevant to pest management; factors may include (but are not limited to) other plant pests or beneficial species, climate variability, plant compounds, pesticides, or toxins;

• Behavioral attributes of pests and beneficial species, including intra- or interspecies interactions and/or communication systems relevant to pest management;

• Factors that contribute to invasiveness, including (but not limited to) studies using population genetics/genomic approaches or models to predict, prevent or manage mailto:erica.kistnerthomas@usda.gov outbreaks, or to pinpoint geographic distribution or origin;

• Movement or dispersal dynamics of pests or beneficial organisms, including pests that vector plant diseases; this could include epidemiological factors that influence disease spread, the influence of agronomic practices on weed populations, and research on aspects of weed biology that impact reproductive biology, seed bank dynamics, and other population-level aspects;

• Mechanisms of pest resistance to pesticides or toxins in genetically-modified plants (e.g., fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, or Bt toxin) and development of strategies to mitigate resistance and/or crop failure; or

• Conference applications that bring together experts in weed biology, plant genomics, herbicide resistance, and data science to better understand how genomic information could lead to novel solutions to manage weeds, how data will be used and maintained, and the underlying molecular mechanisms that contribute to invasiveness.

• Applicants must ensure applications are submitted to the right program or program area priority, for instance:

• Applications that address topics related to pollinators are not appropriate for this program area priority; consider submitting to the Pollinator Health: Research and Application (A1113).

• Studies involving molecular mechanisms that mediate interactions of plants with their biotic partners may be appropriate for the NSF/NIFA Plant Biotic Interactions program.

• Applications to study microbiome function may be more appropriate for the Agricultural Microbiomes in Plant Systems and Natural Resources program area priority (A1402 in Crosscutting Programs).

• Applications to study pests of livestock or humans (e.g., vectors of human diseases or nuisance pests such as flies, bed bugs, cockroaches, and termites) are not appropriate for this program area priority. Instead, consider submitting to the Animal Health and Production and Animal Products program area if you are studying pests of livestock, or to the Crop Protection and Pest Management RFA if your work is focused on nuisance pests in urban or rural systems.

• Applications for work on big data analytics and tool development to support the development of a data network and cyberinfrastructure for pests and beneficial species should be submitted to the Data Science for Food and Agriculture Systems (DSFAS) program area priority (A1541 in Crosscutting Programs).

• Projects associated with the initiative to sequence 5,000 arthropod genomes (i5K) are encouraged to link with the National Agricultural Library’s i5k workspace.

• NIFA is partnering with Ireland and Northern Ireland under the U.S.-Ireland Research and Development Partnership to solicit collaborative research applications in the Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems program area priority. For more information including FAQs about this program, visit the NIFA, Ireland, and Northern Ireland partnership page. Applicants submitting to this partnership must select Collaborative as the grant type and their application title should begin as “TRI-PARTITE: [full title]”.

https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/crop-protection-and-pest-management https://i5k.nal.usda.gov/ https://nifa.usda.gov/food-and-agriculture-research-initiative-ireland-and-northern-ireland

d. Physiology of Agricultural Plants Program Area Priority Code: A1152 Proposed Budget Requests:

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants must not exceed $650,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods of three to five years. See “Program Area Priority” described subsequently for opportunity to request $800,000 for applications that includes specific types of partnerships for this priority only.

• Conference and FASE Grants must adhere to the guidelines outlined in Part II, C(2) of this RFA.

• Requests exceeding the budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed.

Requested Project Types: Research Projects only Requested Grant Types: Standard, Conference, and FASE (Strengthening Standard, New

Investigator, Strengthening Conference, Seed, Equipment, and Sabbatical) Grants only Letter of Intent: required only for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 195 days before the conference begins.

Application Deadlines:

• 2021: Thursday, May 20, 2021 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• 2022: Thursday, August 18, 2022 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Conference Grants: submitted after LOI decision response and a minimum of 150 days before the conference begins Program Area Priority Contacts:

• Dr. John Erickson, (816) 283-6422 or john.erickson@usda.gov

• Dr. Ed Kaleikau, (816) 926-1741 or edward.kaleikau@usda.gov

The Physiology of Agricultural Plants program will support projects to improve productivity or other performance factors of agriculturally-important plants (including weeds) using molecular, biochemical, whole-plant, agronomic, or eco-physiological approaches. The genetic basis of important traits identified through these studies are expected to translate into plant varieties with improved yield or product quality, or growth resilience to adverse environmental conditions.

This program area priority will support research in the following areas:

• Plant growth and developmental processes, including plant architecture, carbon assimilation, and source-sink relationships;

• Mechanisms of plant response to abiotic stresses, including increased water use efficiency; or

• Nutrient uptake, assimilation, and/or utilization, particularly increased plant use efficiency for nitrogen, phosphorus, or other supplemental nutrients.

• Relevance to agriculturally-important traits should be clearly justified and specific.

• For studies that involve microbes in plant nutrient utilization or abiotic stress tolerance, consider the Agricultural Microbiomes program area priority (in Crosscutting Programs) or the NSF/NIFA Plant Biotic Interactions program to determine the best fit for the project.

mailto:john.erickson@usda.gov mailto:edward.kaleikau@usda.gov

• Opportunity to request $800,000 for applications that includes specific types of partnerships. An application that includes significant collaboration with minority-serving institutions, small- to mid-sized institutions, EPSCoR state institutions, and/or international partners will be funded up to $150,000 above the listed budget maximum of $650,000 (i.e., up to $800,000). Applications that include such partnerships must begin their title as “PARTNERSHIP: [full title…]” The partnership team MUST BE reflected among the listed Project Director and Co-Project Director(s). A minimum of $150,000 of the budget MUST BE allocated to the institution(s) included as partner(s).

e. Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production Program Area Priority Code: A1141 Proposed Budget Requests:

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants for Plant Breeding Research must not exceed $650,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods of three to four years. See “Program Area Priority” described subsequently for opportunity to request $800,000 for applications that includes specific types of partnerships for this priority only.

• Budgets for Coordinated Agricultural Project Grants addressing Innovation in Genomic Technology to Accelerate Breeding Progress must not exceed $15,000,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods of five years. This program area anticipates making a single CAP award in the 2021 cycle.

• Conference and FASE Grants must adhere to the guidelines outlined in Part II, C(2) of this RFA.

• Requests exceeding the budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed.

Requested Project Types: Research and Integrated Projects; Integrated Projects only for

Innovation in Genomic Technology to Accelerate Breeding Progress Requested Grant Types: Standard, Conference, and FASE (Strengthening Standard, New

Investigator, Strengthening Conference, Seed, Equipment, and Sabbatical) Grants;

Coordinated Agricultural Project and FASE (Strengthening Coordinated Agricultural Project) Grants only for Innovation in Genomic Technology to Accelerate Breeding Progress

Letter of Intent: required only for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 195 days before the conference begins.

Application Deadlines:

• 2021: Thursday, May 20, 2021 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• 2022: Thursday, August 18, 2022 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Conference Grants: submitted after LOI decision response and a minimum of 150 days before the conference begins Program Area Priority Contacts:

• Dr. Ann Stapleton, (816) 274-1942 or ann.stapleton@usda.gov

The Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production program will support public breeding efforts to improve crop productivity, efficiency, quality, and performance. Research is encouraged to genetically dissect and then introduce desirable traits that may include, but are not limited to:

increased nutrient use efficiency; increased photosynthetic efficiency; tolerance to drought, flood and temperature extremes; resistance to pests and diseases; improved taste, aroma, mailto:ann.stapleton@usda.gov nutrition, or food safety; adaptation to vertical agriculture systems; and removal of undesirable traits through the use of both traditional genetic approaches and targeted gene editing.

The Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production program applications must address one of the following:

• Plant Breeding Research focused on pre-breeding and germplasm enhancement;

participatory breeding; selection theory; applied quantitative genetics; phenomics; or the incorporation of modeling (including crop growth models) in breeding. Explainable artificial intelligence research on ways to leverage parameters and processes that directly relate to theory, genetics and crop models is also encouraged. In addition, applications that address the emerging area of plant breeding for foodborne illness that focus on initiating pre-breeding screening strategies to characterize genetic variability, heritability, and efficacy of target traits or support for breeding objectives where genetic variation and efficacy is established are especially encouraged. Proposed budget requests must not exceed $650,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods three to four years.

• Opportunity to request $800,000 for applications that includes specific types of partnerships. A Plant Breeding Research application that includes significant collaboration with minority-serving institutions, small- to mid-sized institutions, EPSCoR state institutions, and/or international partners will be funded up to $150,000 above the listed budget maximum of $650,000 (i.e., up to $800,000). Applications that include such partnerships must begin their title as “PLANT BREEDING PARTNERSHIP: [full title…]” The partnership team MUST BE reflected among the listed Project Director, and Co-Project Director(s). A minimum of $150,000 of the budget MUST BE allocated to the institution(s) included as partner(s).

• CAP for Innovation in Genomic Technology to Accelerate Breeding Progress: The availability of complete genomes, inexpensive sequencing technologies and editing tools for most major crops as well as advancements in data science and automation have opened possibilities for complementing current public breeding programs with more focused and accelerated approaches to designing optimal gene combinations for changing environments. The CAP Innovation in Genomic Technology to Accelerate Breeding Progress priority supports multiple goals within the USDA Science Blueprint, to catalyze and coordinate research linking genome design and predictive breeding to achieve advances that generate societal and environmental benefits. The Integrated research and education CAP priority aims to (1) harness new tools to empower national and international breeding communities to accelerate improvements in crop productivity through innovations in breeding and genomics and (2) to train current and future plant breeders to leverage field and genomics expertise. The ultimate goal is innovation in field evaluation, education, and design of allele incorporation, to enable sustainable crop systems for a changing world.

Possible focus areas include integration between genotyping and high-throughput phenotyping for source- and sink- related traits, implementation of genomic selection approaches into active public breeding programs and cultivar production, development and testing of new methods, theories, modeling and artificial intelligence for predictive breeding beyond what private industry already does, and functional genomic studies to identify pathways affecting plant productivity and development of ways to incorporate pathway information into genomic selection. The integrated CAP priority encourages:

• coordination and development of breeding and genomic information in open databases that maximize compatibilities and connectivity to other international databases to include a commitment to the development of tools to facilitate visualization of data and utilization by breeders and researchers;

• international collaborations in research and training with international centers (e.g. CGIAR) or groups from other countries equally committed to public access of germplasm and…