By Kelly Servick, March 23, 2018
(Originally posted on Science Magazine)
Farm science advocates had some success this year in boosting federal funding for the discipline…Read more)
When it comes to food prices around the world, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that food prices have been decreasing over the past three years. After spikes in 2008 and 2011, commodities prices have trended downwards. This makes it easier for families all over the world to put more food on the dinner table.
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In California, five years of record-breaking drought have given way to a record-breaking winter of rain and snow that has provided farmers more water than they know what to do with. Southern Africa has had a similar experience, with record drought followed by torrential rains and floods. This change has also been accompanied by the rapid expansion of a new invasive pest—the fall armyworm.
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Eleven prominent research institutions in the United States joined the Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation today in urging increased federal support of food and agricultural science. Their new report, Retaking the Field—Empowering Agricultural Sciences for Health, explores the success of research projects funded by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the flagship competitive grants program of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
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