(NAFB) – Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday an investment of more than $146 million in sustainable agricultural research projects.

The projects are aimed at improving a robust, resilient, climate-smart food and agricultural system. The investment comes from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems program. The program focuses on a broad base of needed research solutions from addressing labor challenges and promoting land stewardship to correcting climate change impacts in agriculture and critical needs in food and nutrition.

The funding is part of the third installment of NIFA grants within its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems program designed to improve plant and animal production and sustainability, and human and environmental health.

Secretary Vilsack says, “Critical issues like food insecurity, drought resilience and response, animal disease prevention, and market disruption requires investments to help meet these challenges.”

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative is the nation’s leading and largest competitive grants program for agricultural sciences.