We are a small and agile agency, comprised of scientists and support professionals dedicated to creating a better future for all. We aim to nurture innovation in the food and agricultural sciences and cultivate meaningful change and prosperity in communities across the Nation.
USDA NIFA is the extramural funding agency within USDA's Research, Education, and Economics mission area. Though we are a comparatively small agency of fewer than 350 people, NIFA leverages more than 10,000 scientists, experts, and educators at Land-grant Universities to deliver 70 percent of the Nation’s agricultural research and development. Our investments in agricultural research keep the U.S. on the leading edge of global food production and sustainability.
Through collaboration with our grant recipients at Land-grant Universities as well as other colleges and universities, USDA NIFA is changing lives, supporting livelihoods, and sustaining the planet by elevating science as a solution to our greatest food and agriculture-related challenges.
USDA NIFA is one of four agencies that make up USDA's Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area. Learn more about USDA and its mission areas.
Landmark legislation has shaped USDA NIFA and its predecessors' history. Discover NIFA's roots which date back to 1862.
NIFA is organized to direct funding and support to programs that address national and global challenges. Our internal structure allows for the collaborative approaches necessary to achieve our mission.
Land-grant University Map
NIFA’s key partner is the Land-grant University System, which includes the 1862 public universities; the 1890 historically Black colleges and universities and Tuskegee University; and the 1994 Tribal colleges and universities.
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