Gene W. Kim, Ph.D.National Program Leader

Aquaculture

USDA NIFA aquaculture -research, extension, and

interagency activities

NAEC 2017

NIFA Extramural Funding Support• Research - Provide answers to the

complex issues facing society

• Education - Support schools and universities in training the agricultural workforce

• Extension - Provide knowledge gained through research to agricultural workforce; theory to practice

Research

Education

Extension

NIFA’s Aquaculture Research Funding

05

1015202530

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

$ M

ILLI

ON

S

FISCAL YEAR

5-year Avg. = ~$21 Million/yr*.

Capacity Funding• Evans-Allen• Hatch Research• Animal Health and Disease, 1433• McIntire-Stennis Cooperative

Forestry

NIFA Competitive Grant Funding>30 Competitive Programs with diverse eligibility

• Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)• Regional Aquaculture Centers (RAC)• Aquaculture Research (AQUA)• Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

(BFRDP)• Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

• Aligned with the 6 Farm Bill priorities • 7 Requests for Applications (RFAs)

– Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences Education and Literacy Initiative (ELI) RFA

– Foundational Program RFA– 5 Challenge Area RFAs

AFRI Challenge Areas

• Food Safety • Childhood Obesity Prevention• Water for Food Production Systems• Sustainable Bioenergy and Bioproducts• Resilient Agroecosystems and Climate

AFRI Challenge Areas versus Foundational Program

Challenge Areas:• Mostly integrated programs• Research component is more applied• Often change markedly from year to year• Larger grant size, typically >$1 million• Multiple investigators or large teams

AFRI Foundational Program: Program Areas aligned with

Farm Bill Priorities • Plant health and production, plant products • Animal health and production, animal

products • Food safety, nutrition, and health• Bioenergy, natural resources, environment• Agriculture systems and technology• Agriculture economics and rural communities

AFRI Foundational Program versus Challenge Areas

Foundational Program:• Mostly single function research• Mostly fundamental research• Don’t change markedly from year to year• Smaller grant size, $500,000 maximum• Individual investigators or small teams

AFRI Foundational Program: Examples of priority for aquaculture

• Animal Nutrition, Growth and Lactation (A1231)• Animal Health and Disease (A1221)• Tools / Resources - Animal Breeding, Genetics &

Genomics (A1201)• Animal Reproduction (1211)• Improving Food Safety (A1331)• Function and Efficacy of Nutrients (A1341)

Newer AFRI Initiatives• Critical Agricultural Research and Extension

• Exploratory Research

AFRI- Critical Agricultural Research and Extension (CARE)

• Awards up to $300,000• Short-term, very applied science• Integrated research and extension projects• Develop and implement solutions to clear, time-sensitive,

stakeholder-identified need• Results that can be applied quickly following project

completion• Results that will be adopted or applied at a local, regional, or

national level

AFRI - Exploratory Research• Awards up to $100,000• High risk–high reward ideas• Extraordinarily novel/innovative ideas - high potential impact;• Application of new knowledge or new approaches to unsolved

challenges that may result in dramatic improvements;• Tools required to have a paradigm shift in the field; • Rapid response to natural disasters and unanticipated

events affecting agriculture

Regional Aquaculture Centers• Established by statute in 1985

• ~$4.0M annually for five regions• virtual centers, hosted at institutions

• Rapid technology transfer to industry• Industry Advisory Council (IAC) generates problem statements• Technical Committee (TC) reviews projects for technical feasibility

• Reviewed to be practical and innovative• Projects reviewed by peers, IAC, TC, BOD, and NIFA

• Projects address local issues with regional/national relevance• Capacity beyond a single institution (multi-state, multi-institutional, multi-investigator)

Special Research Grants Program –Aquaculture Research

• Awards up to $300,000, up to 2 years• Applied aquaculture research projects that:

1. Directly address major constraints to the U.S. aquaculture industry

2. Focus on Program Area Priorities:• Genetics;• Disease;• Production Systems; • Economics

Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program• Purpose: Projects provide education, mentoring and technical

assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers.• Eligibility: collaborative, State, tribal, local, or regionally-based

network or partnership of public or private orgs (Not individuals)

• Standard Projects - to provide local and regional training, education, outreach and technical assistance Up to $200,000 per year for up to 3 years in 2017 Also smaller projects of up to $80,000 per year

Educational Enhancement Teams – for evaluation, assistance and enhancement of BFR education Up to $200,000 per year for up to 3 years in 2017

USDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

• Phase I Grants = 8 Months/$100,000

• Phase II Grants = 2 Years/$600,000

• 8.7 Aquaculture - Develop new technologies to enhance the knowledge and technology base needed for expansion of the domestic aquaculture industry as a form of production agriculture

USDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

• 8.1 Forests and Related Resources

• 8.2 Plant Production and Protection-Biology

• 8.3 Animal Production and Protection

• 8.4 Air, Water, and Soil

• 8.13 Plant Production and Protection –Engineering

• 8.5 Food Science and Nutrition

• 8.6 Rural Development

• 8.7 Aquaculture

• 8.8 Biofuels and BiobasedProducts

• 8.12 Small and Mid-Size Farms

USDA Authorities & Roles• Research and regional centers – ARS-NIFA• Extension education - NIFA• Animal and plant health - APHIS• Export promotion and assistance - FAS• Credit – FSA • Disaster assistance – FSA • Cost share conservation practices - NRCS• Information and statistics – NASS-ERS• Business loans and cooperatives - RD• Risk management - RMA• Market assistance AMS (COOL – FSMIP – NOP)• Section 32 commodities for school lunch programs - FNS

Federal Aquaculture Interests

Federal Aquaculture Interests

Interagency Working Group on AquacultureNational Aquaculture Act of 1980

Policy: “it is in the national interest and it is the national policy to encourage the development of aquaculture in the U.S.”

Purpose: increase overall effectiveness and productivity of federal aquaculture research, transfer & assistance programs:

– Promote synergies among federal agencies, avoid duplication of efforts, simplify regulatory process

– Undertake planning, coordination and communication among federal agencies

– Encourage joint programs among federal agencies

Leadership Structure

•Chair: Gene Kim, USDA, NIFA•Vice-Chair: Michael Rubino, DOC, NOAA Fisheries Service•Vice-Chair: David Miko, DOI, USFWS•Exec-Sec: Maxwell Mayeaux, USDA, NIFA

NOAA

Interagency Coordination • Quarterly meetings (~12 agencies)• Task Forces, Working Groups, Special Projects

• Aquaculture Regulatory Task Force• Aquaculture R&D Task Force• National Aquatic Animal Health Task Force • USACE NWP-48 Commercial Shellfish Operations• Aquaculture Effluents Task Force• Working Group on Aquaculture Drugs, Biologics and Pesticides• Shrimp Virus Task Force

National Science and Technology Council

Gene W. Kim, Ph.D.National Program Leader

Aquaculture

Chair, Inter-Agency Working Group on Aquaculture

Gene.W.Kim@nifa.usda.gov202-401-1108

Problem Identification Workshop (Dec 2016)• Goal: generate ideas for a potential future prize (or prizes)

– How to increase public knowledge and acceptance of U.S. aquaculture in order to increase seafood consumption.

– What new solutions can we create with open innovation, public-private partnerships, and citizen problem solvers?

Other aquaculture prizes:• F3 Fish-Free Feed Challenge• Blue Economy Challenge

National Science and Technology Council 27

Aquaculture Innovation