We are at a pivotal moment for USDA and U.S. agriculture.
Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and I launched the “USDA Science and Research Strategy, 2023-2026: Cultivating Scientific Innovation (PDF, 21.4 MB)”.
The strategy reflects a three-year vision for transforming U.S. agriculture through science and innovation.
The message is clear: our agricultural and forestry systems must be more productive, profitable, resilient, and sustainable than ever before. These systems must work for all who need them, not just for a few.
The Science and Research Strategy is our answer to how research and innovative technologies can advance agricultural production while simultaneously tackling the world’s greatest challenges.
In this Strategy, we’ve identified USDA’s highest scientific priorities. Aligning with USDA’s Strategic Plan for FY 2022-2026, (PDF, 9.6 MB) these priorities reflect input from our stakeholders and partners.
USDA’s five science priorities are:
- Accelerating Innovative Technologies & Practices
- Driving Climate-Smart Solutions
- Bolstering Nutrition Security & Health
- Cultivating Resilient Ecosystems
- Translating Research into Action
Our crosscutting priorities reflect the expert feedback from scientific leaders across USDA and external stakeholders from across our diverse agricultural enterprise. These new priorities represent the complexity of the obstacles we face and will guide how USDA plans to meet this moment through science, data, innovation, and partnerships.
Interwoven throughout this Strategy and centered at the heart of each priority is our commitment to equity. By supporting a more equitable and just science enterprise, we will drive real and meaningful impact for the people we serve.
Our Science & Research Strategy is meant to spur innovation and collaboration across all sectors. This is a call to action for our stakeholders and partners nationwide to propose bold, audacious actions to advance the priorities we’ve set forth.
Join the conversation! As we implement this Strategy over the next three years, your voices are critical. I encourage everyone to review this plan and share how your work intersects—or could intersect—with these priorities.
Through open science, transparency, and collaboration, we can find revolutionary solutions to transform our nation’s food and agricultural systems to benefit the many and the most.
Working together, in alignment with USDA’s Science & Research Strategy, let's continue to push the boundaries of possibility for agriculture and forestry to create a better world for all.