The Urban, Indoor, and other Emerging Agricultural Production Research, Education and Extension Initiative (UIE) is a NIFA competitive grant program implemented in 2022 to support research, education and extension activities that facilitate development of urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production systems. The UIE emphasizes activities on several segments of the value chain, including production, harvesting, transportation aggregation, packaging, distribution, and marketing needs. Input on the most urgent program priorities was obtained through public input solicited in Federal Register Notice 2020-08402 as described in Part I B of this request for applications and consultation with the Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) for Urban Agriculture. The amount available for UIE is approximately $9.4 million.
The UIE program supports research, education, and extension work by awarding grants to solve key problems of local, regional, and national importance that facilitate development of urban, indoor, and emerging agricultural systems. The authorization includes the following food value chain stages: production, harvesting, transportation, aggregation, packaging, distribution, and markets.
Deadlines:
- Required Letter of Intent: July 11, 2022
- Application: Sep. 22, 2022
The eight topic areas of interest identified in the authorization include the following:
• assessing and developing strategies to remediate contaminated sites;
• determining and developing the best production management and integrated pest management practices;
• identifying and promoting the horticultural, social, and economic factors that contribute to successful urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production systems;
• analyzing the means by which new agricultural sites are determined, including an evaluation of soil quality, condition of a building, or local community needs;
• exploring new technologies that minimize energy, improve lighting systems, improve water management, and other inputs for increased food production;
• examining building material efficiencies and structural upgrades for the purpose of optimizing growth of agricultural products;
• developing new crop varieties and agricultural products to connect to new markets; or
• examining the impacts of crop exposure to urban elements on environmental quality and food safety.
Applications may only be submitted by the following entities: (A) State agricultural experiment stations; (B) colleges and universities; (C) university research foundations; (D) other research institutions and organizations; (E) Federal agencies; (F) national laboratories; (G) private organizations, foundations, or corporations; (H) individuals; or (I) any group consisting of two or more of the entities described in subparagraphs (A) through (H).
Duplicate or Multiple Submissions – duplicate or multiple submissions (by the same team and on the same objectives) are not allowed.