AGree releases report on food and ag research
June 25, 2015 |10:16 AM
AGree, a foundation-funded organization focused on long-term agricultural issues, Wednesday released a report with nine recommendations to strengthen the impact of public research dollars.
“AGree’s next steps include convening a diverse coalition of thought leaders to coalesce around smart, long-term changes to the public food and agricultural research enterprise,” said Deb Atwood, executive director.
“AGree will also build partnerships to advocate for near-term changes to include re-examining USDA’s Research, Education and Economics (REE) mandate and practices,” Atwood said.
“Finally, AGree stands ready to strengthen the ability of the new Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR), outlined in the 2014 farm bill, to effectively engage multiple stakeholders in identifying research priorities and public-private partnership opportunities.”
The paper calls for large increases in programs in which scholars must compete for grants, but it also recommends periodic reviews of research funding.
Ferd Hoefner, the public policy director of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, said the reviews stand out as a recommendation that could help with realignment.
Hoefner also said the recommendation of a creation of a new mechanism to improve the capacity to examine the costs and benefits of new technologies on social, economic, and environmental systems through independent science and technology assessment is a “much needed and long overdue reform.”
“AGree’s next steps include convening a diverse coalition of thought leaders to coalesce around smart, long-term changes to the public food and agricultural research enterprise,” said Deb Atwood, executive director.
“AGree will also build partnerships to advocate for near-term changes to include re-examining USDA’s Research, Education and Economics (REE) mandate and practices,” Atwood said.
“Finally, AGree stands ready to strengthen the ability of the new Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR), outlined in the 2014 farm bill, to effectively engage multiple stakeholders in identifying research priorities and public-private partnership opportunities.”
The paper calls for large increases in programs in which scholars must compete for grants, but it also recommends periodic reviews of research funding.
Ferd Hoefner, the public policy director of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, said the reviews stand out as a recommendation that could help with realignment.
Hoefner also said the recommendation of a creation of a new mechanism to improve the capacity to examine the costs and benefits of new technologies on social, economic, and environmental systems through independent science and technology assessment is a “much needed and long overdue reform.”
