Special Projects – National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy

Publications

FOOD SECURITY AND POLICY IN BANGLADESH

NCFAP a consultancy with the National Food Policy Capacity Strengthening Program (NFPCSP) of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization in Bangladesh on the “Feasibility and Design of Postgraduate Courses on Food Security and Policy in Bangladesh”.

The consultancy was held during October/November of 2009 and March/April of 2010. It involved a series of visits to Bangladesh Universities and Government Ministries to determine how sustainable educational programs at the postgraduate level could be designed and how the NFPCSP could support this change in course orientation. The conclusion was to develop workshops on the use of available national surveys that could generate content for inclusion in existing courses for postgraduate programs at the Universities and within Government Agencies. The national surveys to be the focus of these workshops are the Household Income and Expenditure Survey, the Household Food Consumption Survey and Health Survey. The idea is to improve the capacity of the Universities and Government Agencies to include research and educational materials from these surveys. The materials from these surveys can provide the Universities and Government practitioners with improved capacities to analyze accessibility to food and nutritional status of the Bangladesh population. That is, to better estimate incidence and prevalence of food insecurity and to monitor it, and to evaluate policies that are directed to improve accessibility and nutritional status. Both short run and longer run policies are included in this effort. A specific plan endorsed by the Universities and Government Agencies for these workshops was developed by this consultancy.

BIOFUELS FOR AVIATION

The Center held a Summit on the use of Biofuels for Aviation on September 1 and 2, 2009, in Washington, DC. Sectors reviewed included feed stocks, logistics, processing and deployment. Related to each of these sectors of the industry issues of carbon sequestration, sustainability, costs, time to commercial development and refining to meet aviation standards will be discussed. Participation in this scientific Summit is by invitation only and is sponsored by The Air Force Research Laboratory. When completed, the final report on the Summit will be available on this site.

For more information, click here.

EXTENSION IN ILLINOIS

A review of the University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana Extension program was conducted by the Center. The review is for the Chancellor and may have lead to changes in the program designed to better serve the people and organizations in Illinois. The review was initiated in spring of 2009 and was concluded with the filing of a report by midyear.

2008 UPDATE ON IMPACTS ON US AGRICULTURE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY DERIVED CROPS

The analysis of the 2008 impacts of biotechnology derived crops on US agriculture was completed by the end of summer 2009. A special aspect of this study was the analysis of impacts from an ex ante perspective as well as the ex post analysis that has typified the analysis in the past.

BEAD II

The Second Annual Bio Energy Awareness Days (BEAD II) was held from June 19-22, 2008 during the Summer Solstice. It was organized by USDA/REE with the assistance of NCFAP, and co sponsored by the 25X’25 Alliance. Exhibits and events were showcased at the USDA Whitten Building, as well as the U.S. National Arboretum.

Social Security Policy and Rural Communities, with Comparisons to Urban Communities

With funding support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy conducted a study of the impacts of proposed modifications of Social Security policy for rural communities. The results showed some policy options would be disproportionately harmful to rural communities while others would not. A series of reports present the findings for i) a national summary by metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural countryside communities, ii) state summaries by metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural countryside communities, and iii) all counties of the U.S.

For more information, including the final reports, click here.

A 2007 Update of Impacts on US Agriculture of Biotechnology-Derived Crops Planted in 2006

This report updates the 2005 publication entitled “Biotechnology-Derived Crops Planted in 2005 – Impacts on US Agriculture” and confirms that the trends toward adoption, reduction in chemical active ingredients applied and economic benefits to farmers continued in 2006. Biotechnology-derived crops have, in fact, started their second decade of being planted in the US and have resulted in even greater impacts for US agriculture in 2006. The report that is the subject of this summary, evaluated in detail the reasons for the increases in plantings of biotechnology-derived crops in terms of incentives to farmers using essentially two criterions: economic benefits related to cultivation and improved yields; and reductions in active chemical ingredients applied to the acres in biotechnology-derived crops.

US growers planted eight biotechnology-derived crops in 2006 – alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, papaya, soybean, squash and sweet corn. Planted acreage was mainly concentrated in 13 different applications – herbicide-resistant alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, and soybean; virus-resistant squash and papaya; three applications of insect-resistant corn; two applications of insect-resistant cotton; and insect-resistant sweet corn. Planted acreage of biotechnology-derived varieties expanded for most crops in 2006, and economic benefits were increased by both the increased acres and generally higher crop prices, which made the increased yields worth more.

Executive Summary

Full Report

USDA Grant to NCFAP for Biotech Outreach in Germany

FAS/Germany has requested assistance from NCFAP with developing biotech outreach activities focused on German and Poland farm organizations, local parliamentarians, politicians, university faculty and students, and local media. The goal is to share experiences gained about agricultural biotechnology by US farmers over the past ten years and discuss high profile policy questions such as labeling, coexistence and monopoly control of the technology. The objective of this activity is to facilitate and assist in the development of grass roots voices across Germany and Poland that support agricultural biotechnology. These voices can be used in the future as multipliers in countering anti-agricultural biotech rhetoric in the German and Poland press.

Norman E. Borlaug Chinese Fellows Program

The National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy entered into a cooperative agreement with USDA Foreign Agricultural Service to provide training and education for officials and regulators from China. This program was funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and administered by the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Program

Developing Research, Education, and Economics Programs to Promote Energy Independence in the United States

The objective of the NCFAP Cooperative Agreement is to establish the USDA/REE Mission area agricultural research, education, and Cooperative Extension or outreach contributions as a world leader toward achieving a desirable level of energy independence for this nation, and to develop a program in USDA/REE that can be shared with the rest of the world’s nations.

The approach will be to continue the development of comprehensive, integrated intramural and extramural research, education and Cooperative Extension programs that effectively explores and systematizes the role of agriculture and rural communities as users and producers of energy. The implementation of the Strategic Plan will enhance the transfer of agricultural energy technology to agricultural producers, suppliers, distributors and users, as well as to the nation at large. The expanded Cooperative Extension program will facilitate communication and outreach for agricultural energy in formal and informal education programs.

Read the full report here: Strategic Energy Science Plan for Research, Education, and Extension

FY 05 – FY 08 Projects

EERE-NASULGC Partnership Overview

Database on Pesticide Use Data Collection Network and Pest Control Alternatives
The National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy assembled a network of organizations and individuals for USDA-ARS to score a ready list of contacts for notification of regulatory actions on pesticide use data collection. A database on chemical and non-chemical control alternatives along with their costs for specific pest problems in certain crops was also created.

Farm Policy and the Rural Economy Workshop – June 24, 2005
A workshop entitled “Farm Policy and the Rural Economy: Alternative Approaches To the Economic Challenges”, sponsored by The National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy and the Economic Research Service of The United States Department of Agriculture was held in Washington, D.C. on June 24, 2005. The event was held at the Hart Senate Office Building. The keynote speaker was The Honorable Jo Ann Emerson who spoke on the “Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Development in the 2007 Farm Bill.” Other presenters were Susan Offutt – Economic Research Service, Jerry Hagstrom – National Journal, Chuck Hassebrook – Center for Rural Affairs, Bob Young – American Farm Bureau Federation, and Robert Thompson – Professor of Agriculture & Consumer Economics at University of Illinois. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together policy makers and analysts concerned with the effects of farm programs on farm households and rural communities. Previously, in the spring of 2004, NCFAP and ERS held a conference on Agricultural Policy Links to Farm Households and the Rural Economy to address farm policy’s intended and unintended consequences for farm households in rural America. In June of 2005, this follow up workshop was held to continue the policy dialogue and broaden the information base decision makers have at their disposal as they prepare for the next farm bill.

Farm Bill Workshop – March 16, 2005
A workshop entitled “The Next Farm Bill: Links Among Agriculture, Energy, Trade, and Poverty in a Globalizing World,” sponsored by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, the Office of the Chief Economist at U.S.D.A., and the Energy Future Coalition was held in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, March 16. The event was held at the Hall of the States at 400 North Capitol Street, N.W.

Former Secretaries of Agriculture Roundtable
On June 4, 2004 the National Center hosted an agriculture roundtable featuring Former Secretaries of Agriculture John Block and Dan Glickman. The topic was, “Does the Presidential Election Matter to Agriculture?”

Small-Market Biotechnology Workshop – November 8 and 9, 2004

In cooperation with the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, the Agricultural Research Service, Langston University, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy hosted a workshop on “What Can Public Research Agencies Do to Facilitate Regulatory Consideration of Small-Market Biotechnology-Derived Crops?” on November 8 and 9, 2004. The mission was to determine what the United States Department of Agriculture research agencies can do to facilitate the regulatory consideration of small-market biotechnology crops resulting from their research programs, as well as from the research of their partners.

Impacts on US Agriculture of Biotechnology-Derived Crops Planted in 2003 – An Update of Eleven Case Studies

Crops developed through biotechnology methods continue to be planted on more acres and continue to deliver more tangible impacts in the United States, according to a new study released Oct. 20 by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy. In a follow-up to an earlier study, the National Center found that the six biotechnology-derived crops planted in 2003 (canola, corn, cotton, papaya, squash and soybeans) produced an additional 5.3 billion pounds of food and fiber and increased farm income $1.9 billion. The biotechnology-derived crops also reduced the use of pesticides by 46.4 million pounds.