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Administration Priority: Climate Change

Addressing Climate Change via Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry

Climate change presents real threats to U.S. agricultural production, forest resources and rural economies.  

Producers and land managers across the country are experiencing climate impacts on their operations through shifting weather patterns, often resulting in increasingly frequent and severe storms, floods, drought and wildfire.  

NIFA is committed to combating climate change by investing in research, education and Extension activities that support enhanced soil and forest health, climate-smart agriculture and disaster risk mitigation and response. 

Managing for Climate Resistance through Adaptation and Mitigation 

NIFA supports efforts to combat the impact of climate change by investing in scientific innovation that helps the nation: 

  1. adapt to conditions such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures 
  2. mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and forest production  

The agency funds projects that seek to: 

  • develop new varieties of plants and animals that can adapt to climate change 
  • increase the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by natural processes 
  • identify new management strategies for agriculture and forestry to adapt to climate change 
  • increase the sustainable use of natural resources 
  • improve energy and natural resource conservation 

Implementing a coordinated, collaborative response 

NIFA is actively engaged in pursuing a concrete set of actions to address climate challenges.  

  • Staff has examined all Agriculture and Food Research Initiative program area priorities and incorporated climate change into most of them. That work continues across NIFA’s funding portfolio. 
  • The agency is implementing action items outlined in its updated Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, which outlines how it will combat the escalating threat climate change poses to U.S. food and agriculture.  
  • NIFA is also working to advance the White House’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40 percent of the benefits of climate, clean energy and other related priorities to communities that are marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution, extreme weather events and economic deterioration. NIFA recently published 15 programs as Justice 40-covered programs.   

Impacts 

Events 

NIFA Programs 

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative 

  • Foundational and Applied Science | Funding Opportunity 
    • Water Quantity and Quality (A1411) 
    • Regional Innovation and Demonstration of Climate-smart Agriculture for Future Farms (CAFF), (A1556) 
    • Extension, Education and Climate Hubs Partnerships (A1721) 
    • Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events (A1712) 
    • Sustainable Agroecosystems: Health, Functions, Processes and Management (A1451) 
    • Data Science for Food and Agricultural Systems (A1541) 
    • AI Research Institutes 
  • Sustainable Agricultural Systems (A9201) | Funding Opportunity 
  • Education and Workforce Development | Funding Opportunity 
    • Agricultural Workforce Training at Community Colleges (A7601) 
    • Predoctoral Fellowships (A7101) 
    • Postdoctoral Fellowships (A7201) 
    • Youth Innovators Empowering Agriculture Across America (A7703) 
    • From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals (NEXTG) | Funding Opportunity 

Other Competitive 

Capacity 

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