Dear Colleagues,

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) invites applications for the Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) program for fiscal year (FY) 2025. The long-term purpose of this call is to help transform the U.S. food and agricultural system to increase agricultural production while also reducing its environmental footprint. Applications to the call must focus on systems approaches that significantly improve the supply of climate-smart, sustainable, safe, healthy, and accessible food and other agricultural products while fostering economic revitalization in America.

Eligibility and program priorities:

This program support projects that significantly advance foundational and applied sciences for the following USDA priorities: Addressing climate change via climate smart agriculture and forestry | Advancing racial justice, equity, and opportunity | Creating more and better market opportunities | and Tackling food and nutrition insecurity.

Applications must address one or more of the following long-term goals:

• Strengthening the Bioeconomy: Foster economic development and prosperity in rural America by developing sustainable and renewablebiobased products and clean energy. Projects should aim to create cost-competitive, sustainablebiobased supply chains and support workforce development in thebioeconomy. Projects supporting this goal must address at least one of the following:
  • Sustainable Bioenergy and Biobased Products
  • Resilience and Robustness of Bioeconomies
  • Regional Resource Hub (RRH) Partnerships
• Food and Nutrition Security: Enhance resilient local and regional food systems to ensure consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable foods. Projects should focus on strategies that address social determinants of health, reduce food loss and waste, and mitigate the effects of climate change on food systems. Projects supporting this goal must address at least one of the following:
  • Local and Regional Food Systems
  • Reducing Food Loss and Waste
  • Nutrition Security
• Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry (CSAF): Improve the mitigation, adaptation, and resilience of agricultural and forestry systems to climate change. Projects should focus on greenhouse gas reduction, enhancing market opportunities, and developing climate adaptation strategies tailored to regional needs. Projects supporting this goal must address at least one of the following:
  • Greenhouse Gas Mitigation
  • Markets and Socioeconomics
  • Regionally Appropriate Climate Adaptation and Resilience

Key Details

• Project Type: Integrated
• Matching Requirement: 1:1 match required, but can be waivable (See RFA)
• Letter of Intent Deadline: Thursday, March 27, 2025 by 2pm (requested LOI, not required)
• Application Deadline: Thursday, May 15, 2025 by 2pm
• Grant Duration: Up to 60 Months
• Anticipated # of Awards: 8
• Maximum Award Amount: $10,000,000

Visit the SAS RFA for more information about this funding opportunity and access to the application materials.

Thank you,

Kendra Rose Associate Director, Proposal Development Services