Organic Science and Research Investment Act of 2025
The Organic Science and Research Investment Act of 2025 would elevate and expand federal support for organic agriculture research, data collection, and industry transition. It establishes a cross-agency Coordinating and Expanding Organic Research Initiative to align activities across the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Economic Research Service (ERS), and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The bill directs ongoing evaluation, planning, and reporting on organic research, with a formal governance structure, and requires annual budget consideration reflecting the Initiative’s findings. In addition, the bill broadens the Organic Research and Extension Initiative to formally include Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge, cultural practices related to organic production, and climate-change adaptation strategies. It creates new competitive grants to support the transition from nonorganic to organic production, and it adds an economic impact analysis of organic farming and certification to help measure its effects on rural and urban communities. Overall, the act seeks to accelerate organic research, improve data and analysis, support transitions to organic production, and integrate traditional knowledge and climate resilience into organic agriculture policy and practice. Key funding and oversight features include new appropriations for transition research (section 1674), a robust set of indicators and reports every few years, and a required planning and reporting loop to ensure that Congressional committees see concrete progress and policymakers can align budgets with findings. The bill also requires engagement with organic and conventional farming communities, as well as with a broad set of institutions that participate in agricultural research and higher education.
Key Points
- 1Establishment of the Coordinating and Expanding Organic Research Initiative to coordinate organic-related research across ARS, NIFA, ERS, and NASS, with 12–18 members and at least quarter representation from ARS and NIFA; a chair from the Office of the Chief Scientist; terms of 5 years; and formal duties to coordinate, review, plan, and survey organic research, plus reporting to the Secretary.
- 2Regular surveys and reports on organic research, due within 3 years of establishment and every 5 years thereafter, covering all four agencies and including recommendations to expand and improve research, foster innovation, and support organic producers, transitioning producers, consumers, and the organic supply chain; requires stakeholder consultation.
- 3Expansion of the Organic Research and Extension Initiative to explicitly include Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge, cultural practices, and climate-change adaptation; adds new grant requirements and a funding schedule escalating from 2026 through 2030 (including a new set of intentional tribal and indigenous knowledge protections and attribution requirements).
- 4New Researching the Transition to Organic program, authorizing competitive grants to support transitioning nonorganic to organic systems; encourages partnerships with producers and with 1890 Institutions, 1994 Institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Alaska Native-serving or Native Hawaiian-serving institutions; authorizes specific appropriations beginning in 2026 and continuing thereafter.
- 5Organic Production and Market Data Initiatives requiring an Economic Impact Analysis of organic farming and certification by the Economic Research Service; plan due within 1 year and a full report within 3 years; analysis to cover diverse farm sizes, regional differences, and wide-ranging economic and social impacts on both rural and urban communities.