About

Mission Statement

Lead the development of an ever-evolving national research agenda to fortify the U.S. food, agriculture, and veterinary systems, ultimately protecting public health against intentional attacks and unforeseen disasters. This agenda will recognize the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health through One Health principles. It will focus on four key domains: livestock/poultry, crops/forestry, aquaculture/fisheries, and food manufacturing/distribution.

Vision

Forecasting, preventing, protecting: Building thriving health, food, agriculture, and veterinary systems. Our members’ research and innovation outpace threats and hazards, fostering robustness and resilience in every field, farm, and facility, safeguarding our food system, and protecting public health across the food and agriculture ecosystem.

Goals

Create a Dynamic National Research Agenda (NRA)

The NRA will help guide research efforts and assist policymakers, funding agencies, and higher education institutions in identifying high-priority needs related to public health, food, and agriculture security.

Build Upon Existing Research

The NRA will build upon and strengthen existing research agendas, presenting a unified voice on high-priority needs.

Address National Threats

The NRA will address research needs for safeguarding the nation’s food, agriculture, and veterinary systems from all threats and hazards – intentional, accidental, malicious, or catastrophic – that could cripple our food supply chain.

Focus on Solutions

The NRA will focus on solutions for preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from threats to our health, food, and agriculture infrastructure.

Promote Resilient Design and Innovation

The NRA will promote research focused on resilient design, early detection, rapid response, and continuous innovation in the face of threats to health, food, and agriculture infrastructure.

Encourage Funding

Inform potential funding sources, both governmental and industrial, about research priorities related to health, food, and agriculture resilience.

Foster Partnerships

Forge collaborative relationships between academia, government, industry, and private businesses to address food and agriculture system threats and hazards.

Increase industry collaboration with academic institutions to break down silos, leverage strengths, and accelerate research and innovation for societal benefit.

Develop Communication Strategies

Develop clear and effective two-way communication and information-sharing strategies across all government levels and relevant agencies influencing public health, food, and agriculture, fostering collaboration with universities.

Encourage collaboration among diverse researchers, including those from 1890 and 1994 institutions, to address complex challenges.

Develop External Relationships & Staff Responsibilities

UCHFAR staff will establish and maintain connections with relevant organizations, including the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN), State Fusion Centers, National Plant Disease Recovery System, and Professional Academic Organizations.

Staff will disseminate the UC’s NRA and actively engage with these external entities by participating in meetings, webinars, symposiums, and other events they host. Additionally, the UC will reciprocate by facilitating information exchange through presentations to external partners, hosting webinars, and utilizing other communication channels like emails and annual meetings.

Staff will proactively inform UC members about potential collaboration opportunities arising from external relationships and encourage members to share similar opportunities or promote the UC’s NRA when appropriate.