Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 005822
Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 005822
- The USDA-NIFA in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Agriculture and Food Research Initiative: Water for Agriculture Challenge Area" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.310.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 05, 2016 and posted on May 05, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 04, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Water for Agriculture Challenge Area is a competitive grant opportunity run by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) that focuses on major water resource problems affecting agriculture and working lands. The program is designed to support projects that address issues like drought, excess soil moisture, flooding, and water quality challenges, specifically as they impact agricultural production systems and the surrounding environment. The overall purpose is practical and applied: generate usable knowledge and solutions that help people who manage land and water make better decisions and adopt more sustainable practices.
Funding under this challenge area is aimed at developing and improving management practices, technologies, and decision-support tools that can be used by a wide range of stakeholders. The intended users include farmers and ranchers, forest owners and land managers, and both public and private decision makers who influence water policy, infrastructure, and on-the-ground management. The opportunity also recognizes that water outcomes are shaped by community choices and public behavior, so the program explicitly includes benefits for citizens as part of the broader water stewardship and conservation picture. In short, the grants are meant to translate science into workable approaches that improve both the quantity of water available (reliability, timing, storage, allocation, reuse) and the quality of water (reducing pollutants, protecting ecosystems, limiting downstream impacts) in agricultural landscapes.
A defining feature of the Water for Agriculture Challenge Area is its emphasis on systems-level solutions across multiple scales. On one hand, it supports regional approaches that improve how water is used, reused, moved, and managed across larger systems, which can include multi-state regions or hydrologically connected areas where coordination matters. On the other hand, it also targets watershed- and farm-scale needs where day-to-day production decisions and conservation practices directly influence water outcomes. This multi-scale framing reflects the reality that agricultural water issues rarely stay confined to a single field: irrigation decisions, drainage systems, nutrient losses, and flood mitigation actions can ripple across an entire watershed, while regional climate patterns and infrastructure constraints feed back into what is feasible on individual operations. The long-term goal is to strengthen production and environmental sustainability at the same time, rather than treating them as separate or competing objectives.
The opportunity supports two main project types. First are multi-function Integrated Research, Education, and/or Extension Projects, which typically combine scientific research with education and outreach so that results are not only generated but also taught, demonstrated, and adopted in real-world settings. These integrated projects often involve collaboration among universities, extension services, and partners who can help move findings into practice. Second are Food and Agricultural Enhancement (FASE) Grants, which are a set of AFRI mechanisms intended to broaden participation and support investigators and institutions through targeted grant categories; in this challenge area, FASE grants provide another pathway to propose work aligned with the water goals. Together, these project types signal that USDA-NIFA is looking for both strong science and a clear plan for delivering impact through training, extension, and stakeholder engagement.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity identified as USDA NIFA AFRI 005822, listed under CFDA 10.310 (a common federal program identifier used for AFRI). The agency is USDA-NIFA, and the funding instrument is a grant. The posting date and creation date were May 5, 2016, and the application deadline for this particular announcement was August 4, 2016. The eligibility field is listed as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which indicates that applicant eligibility was defined in more detail in the full solicitation rather than in the brief summary record. While the summary record does not provide an award ceiling, expected number of awards, or similar budgeting details, the core message is clear: proposals should address pressing agricultural water challenges with solutions that are usable by producers and managers and that advance sustainable water use and water quality outcomes at farm, watershed, and regional scales.
AFRI Water for Agriculture Challenge Area (USDA-NIFA) - FAQs
1) What is the AFRI Water for Agriculture Challenge Area?
The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Water for Agriculture Challenge Area is a competitive grant opportunity run by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA). It focuses on major water resource problems affecting agriculture and working lands, supporting projects that generate practical, usable solutions for land and water management.
2) What problems is this grant opportunity meant to address?
This opportunity targets water-related challenges that affect agricultural production systems and the surrounding environment, including:
- Drought and water scarcity
- Excess soil moisture
- Flooding
- Water quality challenges (including pollutants and downstream impacts)
3) What is the overall purpose of the program?
The program is designed to translate science into workable approaches that improve decision-making and encourage adoption of more sustainable practices. The emphasis is on applied outcomes that help people who manage land and water make better, more informed choices.
4) Who is intended to benefit from the funded work?
The intended users and beneficiaries include:
- Farmers and ranchers
- Forest owners and land managers
- Public decision makers (including those influencing water policy and infrastructure)
- Private decision makers involved in on-the-ground water management
- Citizens, as part of broader water stewardship and conservation outcomes
5) What types of outcomes is USDA-NIFA looking for?
Based on the summary provided, USDA-NIFA is looking for outcomes that are practical and usable in real-world settings, including:
- Improved management practices
- New or improved technologies
- Decision-support tools that stakeholders can use
- Stronger sustainability for both agricultural production and the environment
6) Does the program focus on water quantity, water quality, or both?
Both. The grant opportunity supports solutions that improve:
- Water quantity (reliability, timing, storage, allocation, reuse)
- Water quality (reducing pollutants, protecting ecosystems, limiting downstream impacts)
7) What does "systems-level solutions across multiple scales" mean in this program?
This challenge area emphasizes that water issues in agriculture often span more than a single field or operation. It supports approaches at multiple scales, including regional systems where coordination matters and local watershed or farm-scale contexts where day-to-day decisions directly shape water outcomes.
8) What regional or large-scale approaches are supported?
The program supports regional approaches that improve how water is used, reused, moved, and managed across larger systems. These may include multi-state regions or hydrologically connected areas where cooperation and coordinated management are important.
9) What farm-scale and watershed-scale needs does the program target?
The opportunity targets watershed- and farm-scale needs where production decisions and conservation practices influence water outcomes. Examples referenced in the summary include irrigation decisions, drainage systems, nutrient losses, and flood mitigation actions that can affect the broader watershed.
10) Why does the opportunity emphasize both production and environmental sustainability?
The long-term goal is to strengthen production and environmental sustainability at the same time, rather than treating them as separate or competing objectives. The framing recognizes that improving agricultural resilience and protecting water resources are closely linked.
11) What are the main project types supported under this challenge area?
The opportunity supports two main project types:
- Multi-function Integrated Research, Education, and/or Extension Projects
- Food and Agricultural Enhancement (FASE) Grants
12) What are Integrated Research, Education, and/or Extension Projects?
These projects typically combine scientific research with education and outreach so that results are not only produced but also taught, demonstrated, and adopted in real-world settings. The summary notes that these projects often involve collaboration among universities, extension services, and partners who can help move findings into practice.
13) What are FASE Grants in the context of this opportunity?
FASE (Food and Agricultural Enhancement) Grants are AFRI mechanisms intended to broaden participation and support investigators and institutions through targeted grant categories. In this challenge area, they provide an additional pathway to propose work aligned with the water goals.
14) Is this a competitive or non-competitive funding opportunity?
This is a competitive grant opportunity.
15) What agency runs this grant program?
The agency is USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA).
16) What is the funding instrument for this opportunity?
The funding instrument is a grant.
17) What is the opportunity identifier for this announcement?
The discretionary grant opportunity is identified as USDA NIFA AFRI 005822.
18) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 10.310, which is the federal program identifier used for AFRI in the summary provided.
19) When was this opportunity posted and created?
The posting date and creation date listed are May 5, 2016.
20) What was the application deadline for this announcement?
The application deadline for this particular announcement was August 4, 2016.
21) Who was eligible to apply?
The eligibility field is listed as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)." This means eligibility requirements were described in more detail in the full solicitation rather than in the brief summary record.
22) Are award size, ceiling, or number of awards provided in the summary?
No. The summary record does not provide an award ceiling, expected number of awards, or similar budgeting details.
23) What kinds of stakeholders are expected to use the outputs from funded projects?
The summary emphasizes usability by a wide range of stakeholders, including producers, land managers, and public or private decision makers who influence water policy, infrastructure, and on-the-ground management.
24) How does the program treat public behavior and community choices?
The opportunity recognizes that water outcomes are shaped by community choices and public behavior, and it explicitly includes benefits for citizens as part of the broader water stewardship and conservation picture.
25) What is the core message applicants should take from the summary?
Proposals should address pressing agricultural water challenges with solutions that can be used in practice, improving sustainable water use and water quality outcomes at farm, watershed, and regional scales.
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