Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative | USDA NIFA ICGP 007012

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA ICGP 007012

The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) is a competitive grant program run by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) that supports projects aimed at tackling real-world challenges in organic agriculture. The core idea is integration: proposals are expected to combine research with education and extension so that the work does not stop at generating results, but also turns those results into practical guidance that organic producers and processors can use. The program is designed specifically to strengthen the capacity of farmers and processors who are already operating under organic standards to produce and market high-quality organic products, with an emphasis on solutions that are useful on the ground.

OREI priorities span the biological, physical, and social sciences, and explicitly include economics. In practice, this means the program can support a wide range of topics as long as they address critical issues in organic systems, such as soil health and fertility management, pest and disease management, weed control strategies, crop and livestock production systems, post-harvest handling, market and supply chain constraints, and the economic and social factors that influence adoption and success in organic operations. A strong theme is whole-farm planning: NIFA signals particular interest in projects that help farmers and ranchers make integrated decisions across their entire operation by delivering practical, research-based information through outreach and education.

A key requirement is that projects should be applied and producer-facing. Proposals are expected to plan for delivery of applied production information directly to producers, typically through extension programming, demonstrations, field days, workshops, decision tools, publications, and other outreach methods. The fieldwork component also has a clear standard: on-farm or field research must occur on certified organic land or on land transitioning to organic certification, depending on what fits the project goals and objectives. Applicants are expected to align their work with USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards for organic production, since those standards define what practices and inputs are allowable in certified organic systems.

Eligibility to submit an application is limited to specific entity types: state agricultural experiment stations; colleges and universities; university research foundations; other research institutions and organizations; federal agencies; national laboratories; private organizations, foundations, or corporations; and individual applicants who are U.S. citizens or nationals. Applications can also be submitted by groups or partnerships composed of two or more of these eligible entities, which supports multi-institutional collaborations that combine research capacity with extension reach. While only eligible applicants may apply, award recipients are allowed to subcontract to organizations that are not themselves eligible to apply, as long as those partners are needed to carry out the project. The notice also emphasizes that eligibility is strictly enforced: if an applicant does not meet eligibility criteria by the deadline, the application can be excluded or, even if reviewed, cannot be funded.

From the opportunity details provided, this is a discretionary grant program (CFDA 10.307) under funding opportunity number USDA NIFA ICGP 007012. The posted maximum award amount is up to $2,000,000 per award (award ceiling). The opportunity record lists an original closing date of January 30, 2020, and a creation date of November 26, 2019, which indicates this specific notice was tied to that funding cycle.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.307.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-11-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-01-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA ICGP 007012

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: