RFAs: Crop-Animal Systems Research Program (US)

Objectives

• The objective of this RFA is to simultaneously advance crop and animal systems. Therefore, applicants must demonstrate how their proposed research aligns with one or more of the above themes to advance both systems. Cross-disciplinary collaborative teams that leverage the strength and expertise of diverse scientific fields are essential to both crop and animal research.

Thematic Areas

• FFAR funds crop and animal systems research to develop knowledge and tools that support the following themes:
  • Crop Resilience & Productivity: Advances research that delivers crop productivity and resilience against biotic and abiotic stress.
  • Integrated Animal Health, Welfare & Productivity: Supports research to improve animal health and welfare while maintaining or increasing productivity.
  • Economically Viable Systems: Advances research that designs and assesses adaptive production systems to advance farmers’ and ranchers’ profitability now and in the future.
  • Agricultural Stewardship: Supports research to cultivate efficient crop and animal systems that protect and restore natural resources.

Areas of Research

• Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following:
  • Resource-efficient animal feed
  • Improved animal nutrition
  • Bioaccumulation of environmental contaminants (e.g., per-and polyfluoroalky substances, etc.) in crop and animal systems
  • Efficient cycling of nutrients between crops and livestock
  • Optimal rotations of crops with grazing periods to maintain soil health, control pests and maximize forage availability for livestock
  • Incorporation of circular agriculture principles
  • Other relevant topics that advance crop and animal systems

Funding Information

• They will award up to $4,000,000 in FFAR funding through the Crop-Animal Systems RFA.
• Individual awards must range from U.S. $300,000 to $1,000,000 of FFAR funds plus matching funds.
• Duration: Projects must have planned durations ranging between 24 and 60 months.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (P.I.) may apply to the Crop-Animal Systems RFA through their home institution or organization.
• FFAR welcomes applications from all domestic and international higher education institutions, nonprofit and for-profit organizations and U.S. government-affiliated research agencies. The following principles guide FFAR’s international engagement under this RFA:
  • The proposal must identify a clear benefit to the U.S. food and agriculture system and a clear pathway to deploy the technology or solution in the U.S.
  • FFAR will prioritize research that delivers broader benefits across geographies and production systems.

Ineligibility Criteria

• FFAR will not consider applications addressing:
  • Research that addresses only crop or animal systems, but not both
  • Teams bringing expertise in only one of the two systems
  • Research that fully overlaps with the research foci of FFAR’s existing Greener Cattle Initiative (GCI) and the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture (ICASA)
  • Research that is not relevant to the U.S. food and agriculture system
  • FFAR will not support research that addresses a challenge primarily limited to another country or region outside the U.S. or where the technology or solution is not broadly relevant to the U.S.

For more information, visit FFAR.