Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) awards Research, Education, Extension, and Integrated grants to improve rural economies, alleviate the impacts of pests and diseases, increase food and agriculture profitability, stimulate the bioeconomy, maintain long-term production capability, increase water efficiency, ensure food safety and nutritional quality, enhance human nutrition, and train the next generation of the food and agricultural workforce. AFRI funds both single- and multifunction research, education, and extension grants that address key problems of national, regional, and multistate importance. AFRI-funded projects sustain all components of agriculture, including farm efficiency and profitability, ranching, bioenergy, forestry, aquaculture, rural communities and entrepreneurship, human nutrition, food safety, biotechnology, and conventional breeding. These projects also create jobs and help develop the next generation of agriculture and food scientists. AFRI-funded integrated projects must include at least two of the three functions of agriculture knowledge � research, education, and extension/outreach � to ensure delivery of science-based knowledge to people, allowing them to make informed practical decisions.

This initiative supports integrated and non-integrated programs. Please refer to Part III, A of the current Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Request for Applications for the complete eligibility requirements.

Within guidelines established for the program as described in the Competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The most current NOFOs are available as follows: Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS): https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/funding-opportunities/agriculture-food-research-initiative-sustainable-agricultural-systems Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development (EWD): https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/funding-opportunities/agriculture-food-research-initiative-education-workforce-development Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Foundational and Applied Science Program (FAS): https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/funding-opportunities/agriculture-food-research-initiative-foundational-applied-science

For equipment grants � Unless criteria is met to qualify for waiver by the Secretary, matching shall not exceed 50 percent of the cost of the special research equipment or other equipment acquired using funds from the grant. For applied research � if the grant is commodity-specific; and not of national scope, the grant recipient is required to match USDA funds awarded on a dollar-for-dollar basis from non-Federal sources with cash and/or in-kind contributions.

Fiscal year 2025: AFRI supports work in six priority areas: (A) plant health and production and plant products; (B) animal health and production and animal products; (C) food safety, nutrition, and health; (D) bioenergy, natural resources, and environment; (E) agriculture systems and technology; and (F) agriculture economics and rural communities.