This knowledge would enable U.S. agriculture to solve critical challenges it may face in the mid-21st century.
This knowledge would enable U.S. agriculture to solve critical challenges it may face in the mid-21st century. There is need for increased agricultural plant productivity, safe and nutritious food, and new products to meet the demands of a growing populations in the face of limiting resources, loss of agricultural land to urban development, and increasing global market competition.
Plant Health and Production and Plant Products Program Area
Plant production, protection, and the development of new plant products are critical to the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture, and our nation’s economic preeminence. The Plant health and production and plant products program area was established with the recognition that increasing knowledge of plant systems and the various factors that affect productivity will help U.S. producers and consumers face critical challenges in areas such as nutritional security, stewardship of natural resources, bioenergy, climate variability, organic production, loss of agricultural land, challenges to pollinator health, and increasing global competition. Future improvements to production systems will require a greater understanding of complex, inter-related factors, across a wide range of scales.
Program Area Priorities
- Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems (A1102)
- Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products (A1103)
- Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems (A1112)
- Physiology of Agricultural Plants (A1152)
- Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production (A1141)
- Pollinator Health: Research and Application (A1113)
- Conventional Plant Breeding for Cultivar Development (A1143)
- Agricultural Microbiomes in Plant Systems and Natural Resources (A1402)
- Tactical Sciences for Agricultural Biosecurity (A1181)
- Critical Agricultural Research and Extension (CARE) (A1701)
- Extension, Education & USDA Climate Hubs Partnership (A1721)
Research Proposals
Research proposals submitted to this program area must justify the choice of organism or system in terms of its importance to production agriculture. The use of model systems is allowed, but applicants must clearly describe the relevance of model system development to plant production systems and also describe how results obtained from model systems will be transferred to agriculturally-important organisms during the project period.
NSF-NIFA Plant Biotic Interactions Program
Additionally, NIFA continues to jointly offer a program with the National Science Foundation (NSF) entitled, “NSF-NIFA Plant Biotic Interactions.”
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 15: Life on Land
The article discusses the need for increased agricultural plant productivity, safe and nutritious food, and new products to meet the demands of a growing population. These issues are connected to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), which aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. The article also mentions the need to reduce the ecological footprint of agriculture, which aligns with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Additionally, the article highlights the importance of plant health and production, which is relevant to SDG 15 (Life on Land).
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, and fishers.
- Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
- Target 12.3: By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
- Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
- Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
Based on the article’s content, the specific targets that can be identified are related to increasing agricultural productivity, implementing sustainable agricultural practices, reducing food waste, integrating climate change measures, and conserving terrestrial ecosystems.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Indicator 2.3.1: Volume of production per labor unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size.
- Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture.
- Indicator 12.3.1: Food loss index.
- Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
- Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area.
The article does not explicitly mention indicators, but based on the identified targets, these indicators can be used to measure progress towards achieving the targets. These indicators measure the volume of production per labor unit, the proportion of agricultural area under sustainable agriculture, the food loss index, the integration of climate change measures into national policies, and the forest area as a proportion of total land area.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, and fishers. | Indicator 2.3.1: Volume of production per labor unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size. |
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality. | Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture. |
| Target 12.3: By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. | Indicator 12.3.1: Food loss index. | |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning. | Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning measures into national policies, strategies, and planning. |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. | Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area. |
Source: nifa.usda.gov
