The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Coalition, which includes AAU, sent a letter to the leadership of the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees requesting no less than $500 million for AFRI in FY24; Congress provided $455 million for AFRI in FY23 and the president’s budget request includes $550 million for AFRI in FY24.
AFRI is critical to farmers and overall agricultural production in the United States. Bolstering federal investment is prudent considering that “roughly 70 percent of AFRI proposals that are deemed worthy by expert review panels are not funded, simply because of insufficient funding,” the letter noted. By appropriating additional funding for AFRI, the letter emphasized, the United States could “ensure our global competitiveness and national security” and “attract, retain, and develop the next generation of scientists."