USDA Creates Foundation To Gather Research Funds
July 23, 2014 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the creation of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR) and the appointment of a 15-member board of directors.
The foundation will operate as a non-profit corporation seeking and accepting private donations in order to fund research activities that focus on problems of national and international significance.
Congress also provided $200 million for the foundation, which must be matched by non-federal funds as the Foundation identifies and approves projects.
“Studies have shown that every dollar invested in agricultural research creates $20 in economic activity,” Vilsack says. “Investments in innovation made over the past several decades have developed new products and new procedures that have been critical to the continued growth of American agriculture. We must continue to make strategic investments in research and technology if we are to remain leaders in the global economy.”
The research funded by the FFAR will address issues including plant and animal health; food safety, nutrition and health; renewable energy, natural resources, and environment; agricultural and food security; and agriculture systems and technology.
To learn more about each member of the FFAR board, click here.
Source: USDA news release
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