Improving Coordination of Agriculture Research and Data Act
The Improving Coordination of Agriculture Research and Data Act would amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to create two major new structures within the Department of Agriculture to advance climate-related agriculture research and data: (1) the Agriculture Climate Scientific Research Advisory Committee (ACSRAC) and (2) the Rural Climate Alliance Network (Network). The bill aims to strategically align climate research and data systems, strengthen technical assistance and technology transfer, and establish a national agriculture climate research agenda to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The ACSRAC would advise the Secretary on data collection, research priorities, evaluation of outcomes, and budget recommendations, while the Network would coordinate climate research, data sharing, extension, and technical assistance for rural communities and agricultural producers through a broad network of partners. A comprehensive report to Congress would be due within one year of enactment, outlining needs, progress, and budget recommendations. In short, the bill institutionalizes a formal, long-term framework for coordinating climate science in U.S. agriculture, tying together research, data, extension, and on-the-ground dissemination and training, with substantial involvement from a wide range of federal agencies, universities, producers, industry groups, and other partners.
Key Points
- 1Agriculture Climate Scientific Research Advisory Committee (ACSRAC)
- 2- Establishes an 18-member advisory committee within the Office of the Chief Scientist to guide national policies and priorities for climate-specific agriculture research, data collection, and climate outcomes (e.g., carbon, soil health, methane, wetlands, and climate-smart practices).
- 3- Duties include identifying gaps, developing a biennial national research agenda, conducting 5-year evaluations of research and outreach programs, recommending program priorities, reviewing technology assessment processes, and proposing annual budget recommendations.
- 4- Requires coordination with multiple USDA agencies, consultation with industry and scientific groups, and reporting back to the Secretary on implementation of recommendations.
- 5Rural Climate Alliance Network
- 6- Creates and administers a nationwide network, via the Climate Hubs, to coordinate climate research, data, extension, and technical assistance for rural communities and agricultural producers.
- 7- Network goals include improving climate disaster response, risk communication, multilingual education and tech transfer, data sharing, and coordination with private sector and other federal and non-federal partners.
- 8- Network composition includes a broad mix of public, private, tribal, nonprofit, and research entities, plus other climate-related networks within and outside USDA (e.g., FFAR, NOAA, NWS, NASA, USGCRP).
- 9Activities and means of the Network
- 10- Eligible entities can initiate or expand climate-related research, transfer technology, train stakeholders (from crop insurance agents to farmers and extension agents), develop curricula, and enter multi-year cooperative agreements with community-based organizations.
- 11- Includes diverse training and outreach methods (language-accessible communications, online tools, publications, and in-person trainings) to support producers and service providers.
- 12Reporting and budget
- 13- Requires a comprehensive report to Congress within 1 year of enactment detailing climate research needs, progress, technical assistance needs in rural areas, actions of the ACSRC, and recommended funding levels for climate-related research, data systems, and technical assistance.
- 14- The Secretary must include an inventory of current efforts, a baseline soil carbon sequestration assessment, and a long-term strategy to address challenges, plus an evaluation of impacts on the workforce, production, rural communities, food security, and succession planning.
- 15Governance and administration
- 16- Provisions specify staff and compensation arrangements for the ACSRAC, including an executive director and up to three full-time staff, with roughly GS-15 level compensation for the director.
- 17- The committee operates with an annual election of a chair, vice chair, and an executive subcommittee; it is treated as a Federal Advisory Committee, with certain protections and exemptions to ensure ongoing operation.
- 18- Committee expenses are not constrained by typical general limits on USDA advisory committees, unless a targeted appropriation Act specifies otherwise.