(NAFB.com) – The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced an investment of almost $22 million in agricultural economics research. That research will include agricultural markets, international trade, farm labor, consumer behavior and nutrition, food retail, agricultural production, processing, and agricultural policy. NIFA Director Manjit (Man-JEET) Misra says, “The challenges facing the agricultural sector, the production and consumption of food, and management of natural resources and the environment continue to evolve.” The agency chief also says NIFA supports research that investigates the increasing global demands for food production in the face of limited resources and changing climate. “These will have major implications for how we use natural resources, promote healthy diets, invest in science, and foster economic opportunities and quality of life for all Americans,” Misra says in a release. He made the announcement in Colorado during a keynote address at the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Service Annual Meeting in Denver.