There will be four (4) meetings around the five (5) AFRI SAS 25-year goals as described in the 2018 RFA (see below).

Goal 3: Reduce losses due to environmental stresses, insects and other invertebrate pests, weeds, or disease by 20% in crops and animals used for food, fiber, or bioproducts production.

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is a competitive grant program that provides funding for fundamental and applied research, education, and extension projects in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. Within AFRI, the long-term purpose of this new Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) Request for Applications (RFA) is to help transform U.S. food and agricultural system to increase production in sustainable ways as we approach a world population of 10 billion by 2050, and doing so in the context of diminishing land and water resources, changing climate and increasing frequency of extreme weather events, threats of outbreaks of diseases and pests, and challenges to human health and well-being.