Frontiers in Agricultural Research Food, Health, Environment, and Communities (2003) / Chapter Skim
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4. Setting the Research Stategy
4. Setting the Research Stategy
Pages 67-95
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From page 67... ...
Finally, USDA and the REE agencies develop broad goals and objectives through periodic strategic planning and performance reporting mandated by the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) (US Congress, 19931.
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From page 68... ...
Congress and the executive branch routinely circumscnbe the direction and use of federal funds for agricultural research through earmarking and other means. Trends in Federal Funding of Agricultural Research Total REE funding was almost constant in 2000 dollars from 1985 to 2001 (Figure 4-1; Appendix Table F-1~.
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From page 69... ...
Private agricultural R&D expenditures have grown at more than twice the rate of public agricultural research expenditures over the last decade (Figure 4-2; Appendix Table Fob. USDA is an integral part of the agricultural-research system at the state level because it provides research support to the state agricultural experiment stations (SAESs)
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From page 70... ...
Funding of intramural research institutions declined from $948 million in 1980 to $870 million in 2000 (Appendix Table Fog. The growth in funding of the SAESs resulted in part from increases in non-USDA federal contracts and grants, which now make up 12.8% of total SAKS research funding and approach the level of support received through all USDA funding mechanisms.
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From page 71... ...
The ERS and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) budgets included no earmarks.2 In contrast to federally funded agricultural research, federally funded basic research and health research are not heavily earmarked.
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From page 72... ...
In most cases, they require reallocation of human and financial resources in the REE agencies or research institutions and potential disruptions in other important research programs. Some of the more narrowly focused national initiatives are similar to the special grants awarded by CSREES that also bypass normal formula-based and competitive funding mechanisms.
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From page 73... ...
For example, there is little evidence that the agencies explicitly set priorities according to where their research investments might play a unique or critical role or yield the greatest impacts in advancing national goals. Similarly, there appear to be no mechanisms for reviewing the research portfolios of the various REE agencies in specific topics to evaluate their combined ability to make progress toward meeting national needs.
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From page 74... ...
For example, the REE agencies adopted five strategic goals that were developed in 1996 and are loosely connected to four strategic USDA goals (USDA, 2000h; 2002b) ; in contrast, ARS tracks expenditures for 22 national program areas, and the Current Research Information System (CRIS)
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From page 75... ...
USDA action agencies are the Agricultural Marketing Service; the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion; the Farm Service Agency; the Food and Nutrition Service; the Food Safety Inspection Service; the Foreign Agricultural Service; the Forest Service; the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration; the Natural Resources Conservation Service; the Office of Community Development; the Risk Management Agency; the Rural Business Cooperative Service; the Rural Housing Service; and the Rural Utilities Service.
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From page 76... ...
Suggested improvements included greater discretion in the REE agencies to target money toward high-priority issues, better coordination and communication (in both directions) , and greater engagement of action agencies in REE requests for proposals (RFPs)
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From page 77... ...
More-effective mechanisms are needed for directing research toward the action agencies' long-term and emerging needs. Research Funding Mechanisms Mechanisms established by each REE agency's authorizing and appropriations legislation determine the processes by which funds, capacity, and resources are allocated to various research needs.
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From page 78... ...
Accountability of the formula funding system has recently improved; institutions now need to document a peer-review process to receive formula funds under AREERA (see Chapter 6 for discussion) (US Congress, 1998~.
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From page 79... ...
It is interesting to note, in addition, a recommendation by the National Research Council Committee on the Colleges of Agriculture at the Land Grant Universities that a new formula be designed and implemented to reflect more accurately the full range of food and agricultural research beneficiaries (NRC, 1996~. It should not surprise us that such a recommendation has not been implemented, given its weak political support.
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From page 80... ...
Peer-reviewed projects, in contrast with formula funds, are considered to be more flexible and can be more responsive to newly emerging and undersupported research topics because they can effectively engage new talent and expertise (Alston and Pardey, 1996~. Merit-based, peer-reviewed competi6As a result of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002 (US Congress, 2002a)
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From page 82... ...
Critics also cite a tendency for risk-averse projects or scientists to be chosen (US GAO, 1994~. Alternative mechanisms for allocating competitive grants including the use of preproposals, increasing the size and duration of grant awards, funding proposals for only a percentage of the amount requested or funding by merit percentile, reducing the time between proposal submission and award decisions, establishing continuous funding cycles for the granting process (as is the case at NSF)
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From page 83... ...
Cooperative agreements and other extramural agreements accounted for 13% of ARS budget authority in 2001 (Appendix Table Fob. Extramural activities (contracts, research agreements, and grants)
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From page 84... ...
state, regional, and national agricultural research needs are addressed, and some economic evidence suggests that the diversity has been a historical strength of the USDA research system. It is unclear whether the current portfolio of funding mechanisms will adequately address the complex problems of contemporary agriculture in the 21st century and realize the new vision of REE research.
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From page 85... ...
2. Action agencies should receive or control discretionary funds to be used to meet critical programmatic needs complementary to those currently served by REE agencies.
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From page 86... ...
Although the REE agencies have developed a wealth of information through various forms of Stakeholder input over the last several years, the overall experience has been mixed. Important issues have arisen about how to ensure balanced input and how to translate the TABLE 4-1 REE Mechanisms for Ensuring Stakeholdera Input Mechanisms Agency Using Mechanisms National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board Agency-specific advisory boards Public workshops and listening sessions Stakeholder input at the state level (through field offices and universities)
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From page 87... ...
The board sponsors stakeholder listening sessions, reviews TABLE 4-2 Membership Categories, Represented in NAREEE Advisory Board Membership Categories National farm organization Farm cooperative Food-animal commodity producer Plant-commodity producer National animal-commodity organization National crop-commodity organization National aquaculture association National food-animal science society National crop, soil, agronomy, horticulture, or weed science society National food-science organization National human-health association National nutritional-science society 1862 land-grant college 1890 land-grant college 1994 institution Hispanic-serving institution American college of veterinary medicine Nonagriculture scientific community Food and agricultural products transporter, for both domestic and foreign markets Food retailing and marketing representative Food and fiber processor Rural economic development advocate National consumer interest group National forestry group National conservation or natural-resource group Private-sector international development organization USDA nonresearch agency Non-USDA federal government research agency National social-science association National agricultural research, education, and extension organization Source: Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act, US Congress (1996)
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From page 88... ...
Those stakeholders are often well-funded industry groups rather than less well-funded stakeholders, such as small farmers and environmental organizations. Overall, the REE agencies appear to have an inconsistent track record of effectively using information generated in public workshops.
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From page 89... ...
CSREES reported to the committee that states use various methods to gather input, such as dean's advisory boards, department advisory committees, agricultural councils, local extension boards, and random telephone surveys of citizens (e.g., University of Florida, 1999)
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From page 90... ...
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) constitutes a case study of stakeholders' involvement at several levels (Box 4-3~.
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From page 91... ...
, particularly in cases related to environmental and natural-resources issues or other topics involving stakeholders who are new to agricultural research. FINDING: The REE agencies have implemented numerous mechanisms to integrate stakeholder input into their priority-setting and into the research, extension, and education processes.
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From page 92... ...
The effectiveness of REE agencies in serving USDA action agencies' needs was considered. Advantages and disadvantages of the four funding mechanisms used by USDA formula funds, intramural funds, competitive funds, and special grants or earmarks were discussed, and recommendations to realign the research budget to achieve greater flexibility and to address new and emerging issues were offered.
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From page 93... ...
1998. Letter to Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman from the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board, May 27.
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From page 94... ...
107-116 - Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2002. Available online at http://Thomas.Loc.Gov/Cgi-Bin/Cpquery/R?
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From page 95... ...
2001c. National Agricultural Statistics Service FY 2002 and Revised FY 2001 Annual Performance Plans.
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