The President’s FY2013 budget for USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (released Feb. 13, 2012) proposes consolidation of six IPM-related funding lines into a single line called the “Crop Protection Program.” This new program, to be administered under Integrated Activities, is designed to enhance NIFA’s ability to support research, education, and extension activities needed to ensure global food security and respond to other major societal challenges.
Details of the funding line changes are explained in the document FY 2013 Budget Explanatory Notes for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (pdf), which says the new program “will provide support for projects that respond to pest management challenges with coordinated region-wide and national research, education and extension programs, and serve as a catalyst for promoting further development and use of IPM approaches. The program will also foster regional and national team building efforts, communication networks, and enhanced stakeholder participation” (p. 17-81).
The Crop Protection Program would replace several programmatic lines, including:
- Expert Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Decision Support System
- IPM & Biological Control
- Minor Crop Pest Management IR-4
- Pest Management Alternatives Program
- Smith-lever 3(d) Pest Management (State IPM Coordinators)
- Regional IPM Centers
Listening Sessions Schedule
IPM stakeholders—especially those who receive funding directly or indirectly from NIFA—should be aware of these proposed changes and weigh in on plans for the future. NIFA will hold a series of listening sessions to gather stakeholder input on how the new Crop Protection line item should be implemented (official announcements of these sessions will be published in the Federal Register):
- March 29, 2012 (2:00-5:00pm CT) at the conclusion of the 7th International IPM Symposium in Memphis, TN.
- April 11 (via web and conference call)
- April 16 (Washington, DC at the Waterfront Center, NIFA offices)
- May 1, 2012 (via web and conference call).
Please feel free to contact the Southern Region IPM Center if you’d like to share questions or feedback with us, or make plans to discuss how these changes might affect IPM in our region.
Overview of the Crop Protection Program
Key information about the Crop Protection Program is excerpted here (from pp. 17-81 and 17-82 of NIFA’s FY 2013 Budget Explanatory Notes):
The consolidated IPM program will provide support in five areas:
Plant Protection Tactics and Tools. This program area will support the development and introduction of new pest management tactics into agricultural production systems. In some cases, the program will develop new tactics that provide the breakthrough needed to fundamentally change a pest management system, resulting in greater profitability and smaller environmental and health risks. In other cases, the program will support the introduction of a new replacement tactic when a critical tactic is no longer available due to development of pest resistance, regulatory action or marketing decisions of manufacturers. The loss of a key management tactic can have devastating impacts on productivity, product quality and profitability. Examples include the impending loss of methyl bromide, the loss of effectiveness of glyphosate due to the development of resistant weed populations, and the endocrine disruptor issue associated with atrazine in runoff.
Diversified IPM Systems. Diversified IPM systems represent the long-term sustainable solution to many pest management problems. This program will support long-term projects focused on the development and implementation of innovative IPM systems on an area or landscape basis. The outcomes associated with IPM systems projects will be reduced reliance on single pest management tactics, the reduction of potential risks to human health and the environment caused by pests or the use of pest management practices, and increased economic benefits of adopting IPM practices. IPM systems projects will typically be multi-state or regional in scale and will involve multiple managed ecosystems with emphasis on enhanced stability and sustainability of IPM systems. The projects supported will be broad and systems-oriented efforts, with involvement of relevant disciplinary and subject matter experts in plant and animal sciences, water quality, food safety, and other relevant areas.
Enhancing Agricultural Biosecurity. This program area will support the development and maintenance of key information systems, networks, and decision support tools that provide the knowledge infrastructure needed for early detection and the application of science-based IPM systems for invasive, emerging and high-consequence pests that threaten U.S. agriculture. The program will support formal and informal education/training programs, and the development of pest management data and information needed by pest managers, regulatory agencies and policy makers to improve their ability to respond appropriately to endemic and exotic pests and diseases.
IPM for a Sustainable Society. Much of the IPM knowledge and expertise developed for agricultural systems has direct application in non-traditional settings. As IPM becomes more relevant in the areas that are fringe to agricultural crop production, much of what is learned can be applied to less traditional areas of food and quality of life on the rural-urban interface. For example IPM discoveries can be applied to urban pests (including Asian Long-horned Beetle, Emerald Ash Borer, and Laurel Wilt) and in community gardens. In addition, knowledge gained from IPM can be applied to pests/pesticides within living spaces in schools and homes.
Development of the Next Generation of IPM Scientists. This program area will support education programs needed to prepare the next generation of IPM scientists. Education efforts will focus on the training of interdisciplinary IPM scientists and IPM discipline experts such as new age systematists who are able to link to traditional methods. Support also will be provided for curriculum development, including web-based courses.
Additional information about the proposed budget is available at USDA’s website.
Like this:
Filed under: Budget Tagged: | IPM budget, IPM Funding, NIFA budget, Regional IPM Center, State IPM programs
