ag-research-scientist-letter-final-9-20-23-24292615832221df.pdf

A group of scientists requests increased public funding for US agricultural research to address the climate crisis, noting that inflation-adjusted investments have fallen by one-third since 2002. They argue that public R&D is essential for developing tools to mitigate climate change and improve food security, as private sector research often ignores non-commercial environmental benefits. The letter specifically calls for more resources for USDA agencies and programs such as the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), and research into sustainable nutrition and farmworker health.

• Public agricultural research and development (R&D) investments in the United States have decreased by approximately one-third when adjusted for inflation since their 2002 peak, falling from $7.64 billion to $5.16 billion.
• US agricultural production is responsible for about 10 percent of the country's heat-trapping emissions, while producers face increasing threats from drought, floods, pests, and disease.
• There is a significant gap in public research infrastructure and climate-specific R&D; over 69 percent of agricultural research and education facilities at land-grant universities have reached the end of their useful life, and research into soil carbon monitoring and methane/nitrous oxide reduction is underfunded.
• Public agricultural research spending provides a high economic return, with each additional dollar estimated to generate an average of $20 in benefits for the US economy.
• Several USDA programs are currently underfunded, with more than half of the expert-reviewed proposals for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and fewer than one-third of proposals for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and Organic Transitions Program (ORG) remaining unfunded.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2023). ag-research-scientist-letter-final-9-20-23-24292615832221df.pdf. https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/Ag-research-scientist-letter-final-9-20-23.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. ag-research-scientist-letter-final-9-20-23-24292615832221df.pdf. 2023. https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/Ag-research-scientist-letter-final-9-20-23.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=ag-research-scientist-letter-final-9-20-23-24292615832221df.pdf |date=20 September 2023 |url=https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/Ag-research-scientist-letter-final-9-20-23.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{unionofconcernedscientists2023agresearchscientistletterfinal9202324292615832221dfpdf, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{ag-research-scientist-letter-final-9-20-23-24292615832221df.pdf}}, publisher = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/Ag-research-scientist-letter-final-9-20-23.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }