Stakeholders Workshop
on Research Priorities
The goal of the USDA-CSREES Stakeholders
Workshop on Research Priorities, held in
November 2002, was to obtain the perspectives
of the agricultural community for future
CSREES program development in plant and pest
biology. Stakeholders from various scientific
organizations were invited to review their
organization's research priorities in regard
to the six major issue areas CSREES is considering
for multi-year competitive funding. The six
issue areas are:
- Agricultural and Environmental Quality.
- Agricultural Security.
- Genomics and Food and Fiber Production.
- Obesity, Human Nutrition, and Food Science.
- Food Safety.
- Rural and Community Development.
Genomics, including bioinformatics, was
possibly the most widely mentioned area at
the workshop. It was noted that genomics
research in plants, microbes, and insects
can lead to biobased products and fuels,
nutraceuticals, improved fiber quality, increased
food production, detection of and protection
against disease and pests, improved crop
tolerance to environmental stresses such
as drought and cold, and new products and
uses for agricultural crop plants such as
new methods for pharmaceutical production.
Stakeholders noted that genomics and bioinformatics
promise to generate new knowledge of immeasurable
importance, not only for basic biology but
also for agriculture, entomology, and human
health.
More information is available in an online report.
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