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Between 1970 and 2005: |
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The population of the United States rose from 203 to 296 million. |
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U.S. GDP increased by $7.2 trillion. |
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Federal revenues grew by $1.3 trillion and outlays increased by
$1.6 trillion. |
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U.S. defense spending increased by $152 billion; and domestic
spending by $274 billion. |
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Federal health/medical research funding (NIH) grew by $22.6
billion. |
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General federal science research funding (NSF) increased by $2.5
billion. |
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However, federal funding for food, agriculture, and natural
resources research (USDA) grew by just $652 million. |
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But in just the last ten years (Fiscal Years
1996 and 2005): |
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NIH funding rose by $15.0 billion. |
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NSF funding increased by $1.4 billion. |
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But, USDA research funding grew by only $360 million. |
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And, USDA base (Hatch) funding for State Agricultural Experiment
Stations and related institutions actually dropped
by $27 million. |
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Also, USDA base (Smith-Lever) funding for the Cooperative
Extension Service declined by $45 million. |
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The principal food, agriculture, and natural resources competitive
grants program at USDA – the National Research Initiative (NRI) –
did increase, but only by $79 million. |
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However, the NRI appropriation of $180 million (2005 dollars) in
FY 2005 was less than the amount which each of 25 states received
in NIH grants during that same year. |
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Compounding the chronic financial shortfall for
research, extension, and teaching activities is the fact that these
responsibilities are spread over four USDA agencies: Agricultural
Research Service (ARS), Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service (CSREES), Economic Research Service (ERS), and
Forest Service (USFS). |
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While there is collaboration between agencies,
there is also programmatic duplication and no clear “lead agency” to
address critical and urgent national food, agriculture, and natural
resource problems. |
