Eugenia Saini is currently FONTAGRO’s Executive Secretary. FONTAGRO is the Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology. She leads the investment fund and a portfolio of 70 international operations related to science, technology, and innovation for the Latin America and the Caribbean region. She is from Argentina and is an agronomist by training. She holds a doctorate in agricultural sciences, specializing in total factor productivity analysis. One of her seminal works in this field was the estimation of 120 years of TFP for the agricultural sector in Argentina. She is also a National Public Accountant and holds an MS in Food and Agribusiness and an MS in Applied Economics, both from Universidad de Buenos Aires. She has worked in the private and public sectors, both nationally and internationally, especially in multilateral banks. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship at Cornell University and, more recently, with the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy (AILA) Scholarship at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.
Revving Up Research in the U.S. Farm Bill
In 2018, the reauthorization of the U.S. Farm Bill brings opportunity to rev up the research funding and structure for strengthening the United States global leadership for productive sustainable food systems.
R&D funding levels authorized in the current Farm Bill account for less than one percent of all Farm Bill spending. USDA’s annual research budget should be substantially increased to nearly double that of the current level to reinvigorate productivity in American agriculture and to ensure future sustainability of the sector. Current funding levels are inadequate to meet the need.
A promising development was the creation of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), established in the 2014 Farm Bill. FFAR is a non-profit corporation that leverages USDA’s research investments by mobilizing private-sector and foundation funds, usually at a $1 to $1 match, thereby doubling taxpayer investment. Research areas focus on improving soil health, improving protein production and making it more sustainable, reducing food waste and loss, overcoming water scarcity, and pollinator health and sustainable aquaculture programs. With $200 million authorized for FFAR, the leveraged total could eventually reach $400 million annually.
Exciting examples of FFAR funding that will bring direct benefit to consumers are seen in a recent “Seeding Solutions: Closing the Gap in Delivery of Fruit and Vegetable Benefits” grant, awarded to North Carolina State University with matching funds from Dole Foods and General Mills, among others. With a total investment of $2 million, researchers will study how to improve nutrient density of a range of consumer products through use of cutting-edge genetics and phenotyping technologies.