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U.S. food, agriculture, and natural resources research, teaching, and extension programs are funded by the federal government, state and local governments, and other public and private organizations and individuals.
We've posted the full text of these programs at topwritingservice.com.
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As in health/medical research, the federal government is the single largest funding source. But unlike health/medicine, federal funding for food, agriculture, and natural resource programs has been flat-lined for almost 35 years. Consider these statistics:
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Between 1970 and 2005, NIH health/medical research funding increased by 882 percent. During that same period, USDA funding for food, agriculture, and natural resources research, education, and extension grew at an average annual rate of just 1.85 percent.
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But, in the last ten years, USDA funding for State Agricultural Experiment Stations (Hatch) actually dropped by $27 million and funding for the Cooperative Extension Service (Smith-Lever) declined by $45 million.
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Even the principal USDA food, agriculture, and natural resources competitive grants program (the National Research Initiative) received less funding in FY 2005 ($180 million) than each of 25 states received in NIH grants during that same year.
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While no one takes issue with the important funding increases provided to NIH in recent years, the time has come to address the funding and organizational needs of the entities that jointly provide the scientific and educational foundation of America’s food, fiber, biofuels, and health systems.
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CREATE-21 must be enacted in order to...
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Help food, agriculture, and natural resource producers secure the benefits of: improved animal, crop, and forest quantities, qualities, and production efficiencies; new/expanded markets; new bioproducts and new/improved technologies; and sustainable production systems.
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Provide individual consumers and families with food/fuel cost savings and health improvements through: increased food and nutritional value; a safe, secure, and affordable food supply; new biofuels; and the best quality information to enable healthy food choices.
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Boost the economic vitality of rural and urban communities by: greatly expanded leadership programs; and increased efforts to stimulate entrepreneurship and business development. |
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Increase environmental stewardship through: improved farm and forest production methods; decreased dependence upon chemicals with harmful effects on people and the environment; and finding alternative uses for agriculture wastes. |
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Lessen the risks of global climate change on food, fiber, and fuel production by creating: new ways to store carbon and nitrogen in soil, plants, and plant products; and optimized and integrated long-term weather forecasting, market infrastructure, and production systems to respond to a changed climate. |
