Stakeholder input from 2007 listening session:

“More opportunities for classical plant breeding”

Addressed by NIFA NPL

Ann Marie Thro

Summary of input from 2007

About half of stakeholder groups expressed need for plant breeding

Long list of needs for plant breeding to improve: o Quality , esp. for bioenergy and human nutritional

valueo Production traits.

Resource needs for plant breeding:

Graduate education in classical plant breedingo Education for K-12 and undergraduateo Infrastructureo Global partnerships

Competitive funding opportunities for plant breeding: “Before”

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)

Grants awarded by regional SARE centers

Broad program; Includes a few awards to plant breeding in some years, and not in others.

Example: Open-pollinated corn breeding program at Cornell University

Competitive funding opportunities for plant breeding: “Before”

Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI)

Legislated goals:

Goal 1: “Facilitating development of organic agriculture production, breeding and processing methods”

Goal 8: “Developing new and improved seed varieties particularly suited for organic agriculture”

OREI is a broad program, so plant breeding awards vary by year: 2008: no awards included plant breeding2009: eight awards included plant breeding

Competitive opportunities for plant breeding resources: Before

Graduate education:

National Needs Fellowships (NNF):

Historically genomics-focused Became increasingly aware of needs for plant breeding

One award, in 2008; a few awards earlier

Stretched thin: NNF must address many national needs for agriculture

Competitive funding opportunities for plant breeding: Since 2007

Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI)Legislated Goal # 1 (of 5):

“… plant breeding, genetics, & genomics to improve crop characteristics”

• Quality, nutritional value, stress tolerance, and disease resistance

SCRI has made a significant number of awards to projects that include plant breeding, both with and without molecular tools.

Competitive funding opportunities for plant breeding: Since 2007

AFRI (Agriculture & Food Research Initiative), 2009:

Plant Genomics, Genetics, and Breeding Program

Opportunity for plant breeding, with or without molecular tools

NIFA competitive funding opportunities for plant breeding: 2010

In 2010, AFRI opportunities for plant breeding are “threaded” through several issue areas, especially:

•AFRI RFA for Climate Change:

• Regional approaches to climate change (CAP)

• National cereal germplasm phenotyping (CAP)

• Climate change & adaptation in agric. (Standard R, Ed or Ex)

•AFRI RFA for Sustainable Bioenergy :

• Regional approaches to sustainable bioenergy (CAP)

NIFA competitive opportunities for plant breeding resources:

Graduate education: Agency initiatives in response:

NRI 2008: Plant Breeding & Education Program: 4 funded

AFRI 2009: Plant Breeding & Education Program: 12 funded

AFRI 2010: Climate Change, Cereal Phenotyping Program area: includes a plant breeding education component

NIFA competitive opportunities for plant breeding resources

Undergraduate education:

SPECA: Secondary Education Challenge Grants

Undergraduate, community college, and K-12

Plant breeding could be the focus, or a component

NIFA competitive opportunities for plant breeding resources

Global partnerships• AFRI 2010, especially:

Climate Change (Cereal Phenotyping)

• NNFInternational Research Travel Allowances (IRTAs)

Infrastructure: • Few or no competitive funding opportunities

In summary, NIFA competitive programs include a range of opportunities for

plant breeding as a component of projects that address broad societal issues.

A few programs existed pre-2007 that could make occasional awards to projects that included plant breeding :

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Organic Research and Extension Initiative Secondary Education Challenge Grants)

New since 2007, these programs include plant breeding consistently: Specialty Crops Research Initiative Agriculture & Food Research Initiative

Summary

The agency has taken special initiative in response to input regarding graduate education for plant breeding:

National Needs Fellowships (now includes eligibility)

Plant Breeding & Education, NRI/AFRI 2008 and 2009

Climate Change/plant breeding education, AFRI 2010

Summary:

What about infrastructure? How has NIFA listened?

Here is one strategy:

A hoped-for outcome of NIFA programs is:

To win clear and wide recognition for agricultural REE as central for solving broad societal issues.

That achievement can help re-kindle national awareness of the importance of infrastructure ...

for public sector agricultural research, extension, and education, in plant breeding and other disciplines.

End of section on response to stakeholder input from 2007 listening session:

“More opportunities for classical plant breeding”