CDFA seeks proposals for 2021 fertilizer Research and Education Program grants

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) is now accepting proposals for the 2021 grant cycle. FREP’s competitive grant program funds research that advances fertilization practices and minimizes environmental impacts of fertilizing materials.

The 2021 Request for Proposals (RFP) includes several initiatives put forth by the department to help effectively manage nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture.

This year’s priorities include: demonstrating and/or validating management practices that optimize fertilizer and irrigation water use, addressing challenges and barriers to adoption of management practices, technical education, filling knowledge gaps in nitrogen management for specific crops, research on the role of organic input materials in soil nutrient management, understanding nitrogen movement and investigating mitigation strategies to reduce nitrogen loss.

Applicants are invited to submit two-page concept proposals to FREP (FREP@cdfa.ca.gov) by Friday, January 29, 2021. Concepts submitted should be aligned with at least one of the identified priority research areas. Further information on the 2021 FREP request for concept proposals, including timelines, application criteria and priority research areas are available on the Grant Program web page at www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/ffldrs/frep/CompetitiveGrantProgram.html

All concept proposals will be reviewed by the Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board’s Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TASC). Concept proposals that are selected by TASC will be invited for development into full project proposals.

Since 1990, FREP has funded more than 250 research projects, investing more than $22 million in research and outreach projects focusing on California’s important and environmentally sensitive cropping systems. A database of completed and ongoing research is available on the FREP Research web page at www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/FREPresearch

For more information, send email inquiries to FREP@cdfa.ca.gov.