[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
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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]
BILLING CODE 3410-22-P