- Author: Kathleen P Nolan
Dear Colleagues,
USDA NIFA also is investing at least $10 million this year in a new AFRI program area priority called, “Extension, Education, and USDA Climate Hub Partnerships,” to train the next generation of agriculturalists and foresters to incorporate climate change research into their management practices. This is a new program priority area (A1721) in the current FY21 AFRI Foundational and Applied Science RFA.
This program area priority will support projects that provide effective, translatable, and scalable approaches to address climate change through regional partnerships including the USDA Climate Hub sand extension.
The regional partnerships should work towards one or more of the following long-term socio-economic impacts:
1) net-zero emissions agriculture;
2) working lands adapted to climate change;
3) a diverse workforce that can effectively communicate about climate change with a variety of stakeholders and can incorporate climate considerations into managing working lands; and
4) climate justice including equity in opportunities and burden-sharing.
The USDA Climate Hubs develop and deliver science-based, region-specific information and technologies, with USDA agencies and partners,to agricultural and natural resource managers that enable climate- informed decision-making and provide access to assistance to implement those decisions. USDA's Climate Hubs are a unique collaboration across the Department's agencies. They are led by Agricultural Research Service and Forest Service directors located at 10 regional locations, with contributions from other USDA agencies including the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and the Risk Management Agency. The Climate Hubs link USDA research and program agencies in their region with the delivery of timely and authoritative tools and information to agricultural producers and professionals.
Projects must meet the needs of one or more USDA Climate Hub regions. Some broad emphasis areas to be supported by this program area include, but are not limited to:
- innovative methods of collecting input from stakeholders on their needs, priorities, preferred methods of learning, and avenues for effective messaging;
- human-centered, participatory program design;
- formal education courses at the associate, undergraduate and/or graduate levels with extension service-learning fieldwork components;
- fellowships to work at USDA Climate Hubs;
- expanding USDA Climate Hub capacity to serve as a “climate clearinghouse” of tools and technologies for region-specific stakeholder needs;
- K-12 teacher-training for hands-on learning about climate science and climate-smart agriculture and/or forestry;
- training for extension educators in climate science and climate-smart agriculture and/or forestry;
- training for public and private-sector technical service providers in climate-smart agriculture and/or forestry practices;
- training on climate-smart food systems, including effects of climate on nutrition security and components of nutrient density,food safety,and food waste
Projects may request $1,500,000 total per project for three- to five-year projects.
Extension, Education & USDA Climate Hubs Partnership applications are due Thursday, July 22,2021.
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)