Message from the Director
The primary mission of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is to address key national and global challenges. NIFA accomplishes its mission by effectively and efficiently directing federal funding to projects tackling the most important issues facing our nation and world today. The agency improves the lives of people in the United States and across the globe by facilitating the advancement and application of science and technological tools.
We provide real-world solutions for real-world problems. NIFA funding supports the advancement and application of science and technology to:
- develop climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices
- build new and better markets for U.S. agriculture
- improve food and nutrition security and food safety
- prepare the next generation of agricultural leaders and a strong agricultural workforce
- promote diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility across all our programs
NIFA awarded more than 2,500 grants totaling $2.2 billion to a diverse and inclusive stakeholder community in Fiscal Year 2022. In addition to our traditional funding opportunities, NIFA also managed more than $512 million in new funds through the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. These new funds equaled nearly one-third of our total NIFA appropriations.
Additionally, those new funds added new challenges to the agency in the form of additional RFAs to process, panels to conduct, and grants to process, announce and publicize. NIFA professionals rose to meet those challenges and ensured funds were distributed in an effective and efficient manner. Their success is due in part to the fact that the agency has reached near-full staffing levels. Currently, our workforce stands at more than 340 professionals, up from 262 in FY 2021.
I hope you find the FY 2022 Annual Report informative and inspiring. You will discover how we achieved our goals, learn about some of the impacts of our work and hear about our plans for the future.
Dr. Dionne Toombs
Acting Director, NIFA