[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 179 (Friday, September 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56926-56927]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20064]
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Notices
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
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Federal Register / Vol. 87 , No. 179 / Friday, September 16, 2022 /
Notices
[[Page 56926]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Notice of Stakeholder Listening Session Regarding Science
Priorities
AGENCY: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Stakeholder Listening Session.
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SUMMARY: USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture announces its
stakeholder listening initiative ``NIFA Listening Session for
Stakeholder Input to Science Priorities.'' This stakeholder listening
opportunity informs the research, extension and education priorities of
NIFA, which has the mission of investing in and advancing agricultural
research, education and extension to solve societal challenges. For the
purpose of this opportunity, Agriculture is defined broadly and
includes research, extension, and education in food, fiber, forestry,
range, nutritional and social sciences, including food safety and
positive youth development. NIFA's investments in transformative
science directly support the long-term prosperity and global pre-
eminence of U.S. agriculture.
This effort to obtain input regarding the challenges, needed
breakthroughs, and priorities will be carried out through online and
virtual submission mechanisms. Stakeholder input received from the two
mechanisms is treated equally.
DATES:
Online Input: Submission of online stakeholder input to the target
questions will be open upon publishing of this Notice through 5 p.m.
Eastern time November 30, 2022.
Virtual Listening Sessions: A full-day listening session will be
organized to obtain virtual input from stakeholders throughout the
United States, including small institutions, local businesses, and
other stakeholder groups. The listening session will take place on
November 2, 2022. The session will begin at 8:30 a.m. and is scheduled
to end no later than 7 p.m. Eastern Time. The session will include a
presentation of the goals and background information on NIFA programs,
followed by comments from stakeholders. Each registered speaker will
receive 5 minutes to share their comments with the Agency. If time
allows after all comments from registered speakers are made,
unscheduled speakers will be allowed 5 minutes to present their
comments to the Agency. The length of the sessions will be adjusted
according to numbers of participants seeking to provide input.
Registration: All parties interested in attending the virtual
listening session must RSVP no later than one week prior to the
scheduled session. The virtual listening session will be webcast and
transcribed. Information about registering for the virtual session,
providing written comments and viewing the webcast can be found at
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifalistens. This website includes
instructions on submitting written comments and registering to attend
or speak at the virtual listening session. The number of oral
commenters is limited due to time and space constraints (see below).
Oral commenter slots will be allotted on a first-come, first-served
basis. All interested stakeholders, regardless of attendance, are
welcome to submit written comments. All parties interested in attending
the virtual listening session must RSVP no later than one week prior to
the scheduled session they will attend. Abstracts from in-person
speakers can be submitted upon registration via https://nifa.usda.gov/nifalistens.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to register for, or
participate in, this event, please contact Jessica Creighton, Acting
Director of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, at
[email protected], or 816-266-6947 no later than October 20,
2022. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation
of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals
with limited English proficiency upon request.
ADDRESSES: The virtual listening session Zoom link isshared upon
registration for November 2, 2022. All parties interested in attending
the virtual listening session must RSVP no later than one week prior to
the scheduled session.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amanda Sahinovic, Financial Policy
Specialist, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department
of Agriculture; Email: [email protected]; Telephone: (816) 527-
5379.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The science priority-setting process at NIFA
involves soliciting stakeholder input on agricultural research,
education and extension needs, obtaining input from NIFA's science
staff who are informed through interactions with scientific
communities, and evaluating existing programs to identify critical gaps
in the current portfolio of programs in order to address challenges in
U.S. agriculture.
This listening effort will allow stakeholders to provide feedback
on the following questions:
What is your top priority for research, extension or
education for NIFA?
What are the most promising opportunities/solutions for
advancement of these food and agricultural priorities?
What are the greatest challenges that you see facing food
and agriculture in the coming decades, and what fundamental knowledge
gaps exist that limit the ability of research, extension, and education
to respond to these challenges?
Based on those challenges, what general areas of food and
agricultural research should be advanced and supported to fill the
knowledge gaps, and what is your top priority for research, extension,
and/or education for NIFA investment?
How accessible do you find information about NIFA programs
and activities to be?
What can NIFA do to make information and resources more
accessible?
What is NIFA doing right and are there opportunities to
improve?
NIFA welcomes stakeholder input from any group or individual
interested in agricultural research, extension or education priorities
for NIFA.
NIFA is eager to listen to stakeholder's comments on the
challenges, needed breakthroughs, and priorities, solutions and
opportunities that will facilitate long-term sustainable agricultural
production, research, education and extension. Agriculture in
[[Page 56927]]
this context is defined broadly and includes research, extension, and
education in food, fiber, forestry, range, nutritional and social
sciences, including food safety and positive youth development. This
listening effort will focus on the agricultural science that NIFA
invests in, but not primarily on NIFA processes or procedures.
Implementation Plans
Written comments by all interested stakeholders are welcomed
through 5 p.m. Eastern time, November 30, 2022. All input will become a
part of the official record and available on the NIFA website, https://nifa.usda.gov/nifalistens.
Stakeholder input received from the two mechanisms is treated
equally. The challenges, needed breakthroughs, and priorities
identified by this effort will be evaluated in conjunction with input
from NIFA staff. This information will be critical for NIFA's
evaluation of existing science emphasis areas and to identify
investment opportunities and gaps in the current portfolio of programs.
The information obtained through this iterative analysis and synthesis
will help ensure the strategic positioning and relevancy of NIFA's
investments in advancing agricultural research, education and
extension.
Done at Washington, DC, this day of September 9, 2022.
Dionne Toombs,
Acting Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2022-20064 Filed 9-15-22; 8:45 am]
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