Crop Protection and Pest Management Competitive Grants Program

The Crop Protection and Pest Management Competitive Grants Program provides funding for integrated, multifunctional agricultural research, extension, and education activities to address high priority issues related to pests and their management using IPM approaches at the state, regional, and national levels. The program supports projects that will ensure food security and respond effectively to other major societal pest management challenges with comprehensive IPM approaches that are economically viable, ecologically prudent, and safe for human health. Key areas of focus include plant protection tools and tactics, diversified IPM systems, enhancing agricultural biosecurity, IPM for sustainable communities, and development of the next generation of IPM scientists. * The program provides funding for research to develop new IPM approaches, extension to disseminate IPM knowledge and improve adoption of IPM practices, and coordination of IPM activities at the regional and national levels. * The program encourages proposals that develop new IPM strategies and tools to mitigate the effects of existing or new pests becoming more prevalent due to climate change. * The program addresses IPM challenges for emerging issues and existing priority pest concerns that can be addressed more effectively with new and emerging technologies. * The outcomes of the program are effective, affordable, and environmentally sound IPM practices and strategies needed to maintain agricultural productivity and healthy communities.