On March 24, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Coalition—comprised of research institutions, scientific societies, and other food and agricultural stakeholders—sent a letter to the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees in the House and Senate requesting an appropriation of no less than $500 million in FY 2024 for AFRI, the USDA’s largest competitive extramural research grant program. The letter was signed by 36 organizations, including AIBS.
“This funding level for the program is needed to invest in crucial areas aimed at addressing our nation’s most urgent and pressing food, agriculture, and public health challenges,” wrote the groups. “AFRI-funded research supports supply chain resiliency, bioenergy, nutrition and wellness, agricultural technology, rural economic prosperity, climate change adaptation and mitigation, equity across the food system, food safety and traceability, and a diverse research workforce.”
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