The grants were made through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational program, authorised by the 2014 Farm Bill and administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

"As global temperatures rise, we are already seeing that our crops and native plants are increasingly threatened by pests, diseases and invasive species," said Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack. "Research into growing more resilient, stress tolerant crops that use water and nutrients more efficiently will offer farmers new tools to produce crops sustainably, and will benefit consumers with food security in the face of climate change and the loss of agricultural land."

The grants were awarded through AFRI's Plant Health and Production and Plant Products (PHPPP) area, which supports basic and applied research in the following areas: understanding plant-associated microorganisms and plant-microbe interactions; controlling weedy and invasive plants; and plant-associated insects and nematodes.

To date, PHPPP has awarded more than $68 million to further progress and solve challenges in plant production through research, education, and extension. For example, University of Pennsylvania researchers are currently using funding to working to aid the pollination of plants by producing improved honeybee strains.

Science funded by AFRI is said to be vital to meeting food, fiber, and fuel demands as the world's population is projected to exceed nine billion by 2050 and natural resources are stressed under a changing climate. In addition, AFRI programmes help develop new technologies and a workforce that will advance our national security, America's energy self-sufficiency, and the health of Americans. The President's 2017 budget request purposes to fully fund AFRI for $700 million; this amount is the full funding level authorized by Congress when it established AFRI in the 2008 Farm Bill.

Source: USDA