As a new year begins, I want to take a moment to reflect on all the wonderful accomplishments NIFA and our partners and stakeholders achieved in 2024. Innovation and collaboration have been instrumental in advancing our shared mission and making a difference in all of the communities we serve. Here are just a few highlights from this past year.
In fiscal year 2024, NIFA awarded almost 2,200 grants, totaling $2 billion. The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is the largest and best-known agriculture and food competitive research program. AFRI grants awarded this year support research to increase food production, ensure food safety and security, improve rural economies, stimulate the bioeconomy, and train the next generation agricultural workforce.
We celebrated with the First Americans Land-grant Consortium as we marked the 30th anniversary of Tribal colleges as a part of the U.S. Land-grant University System.
The NextGen program is enabling universities, from New York to the Northern Mariana Islands, from Alaska to Puerto Rico, to build and sustain the next generation of food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences workforce. Over the last 12 months, NextGen engaged more than 5,000 students in agricultural awareness activities.
We announced this fall that the USDA Food Loss and Waste liaison and program has moved to NIFA and is now part of the Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition. This multi-agency effort is a great addition to our food and nutrition portfolio as we work across federal government and the nation to tackle food insecurity.
The new partnership with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, NIFA and the Cooperative Extension System brings new funding and Extension educator positions to urban centers to focus on conservation programs. This is a multi-phase program that is just getting underway, and we look forward to watching it grow and improve our service in the city.
We recently posted the accomplishments report from NIFA’s Climate Change Priority Team to the NIFA website. Our team has done a stellar job – and has been commended across Federal government – for their forward-thinking action plan.
The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), the nation’s first nutrition education program for low-income populations, remains at the forefront of nutrition education efforts to reduce nutrition insecurity of low-income families. The most recent EFNEP annual report, released earlier this year, shows that 96% of adults participating in your programs improved what they eat, consuming more fruits and vegetables. Another nutrition education program, the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program is increasing the purchase of fruits and vegetables by low-income consumers, in turn improving the health and nutrition of participating households. For the first time since its establishment in 2019, the program funded projects serving U.S. territories.
We are moving to the next phase of the Grants Modernization Initiative. A new grants platform has been sorely needed for some time, and we are making great progress toward bringing that new system to our partners very soon.
In FY24 we hosted 105 stakeholder-focused webinars, in addition to many in-person events on the campuses of our LGU partners, giving us the opportunity to hear from them on what we are doing well and where we can improve.
I encourage each of you to reflect on our joint achievements and set your sights on the possibilities of this new year. Together, we’ve built a foundation for success, and I’m excited to see what we’ll achieve in the year ahead.