Farmers know you don’t get higher yields, lower costs, or more resilient crops by wishing for them. You get them through better seed, tools, data, and systems. Most of these elements start long before they reach the farmer or the field. They start with research.
America once boasted the strongest public agricultural research system in the world. A steady infusion of research dollars led to discoveries that continuously enhanced productivity so producers could grow more with less — less land, less labor, and fewer losses. This engine of innovation helped U.S. agriculture maintain its competitive edge and keep food affordable. As American farmers benefitted, so did the world; for the last half-century, American innovation and production has helped other countries feed their people.
Today, that engine is sputtering. Productivity growth in U.S. agriculture has slowed. Farmers are asked to do more — produce more food, with costlier inputs, under tougher conditions — without the innovation pipeline that once made those gains possible.
This is a failure of American investment. Public agricultural R&D funding has declined in real terms since the early 2000s. Research programs that consistently generated yield gains are stretched thin. International collaborations that allow American scientists to solve emerging threats have been shut down.
The result? American producers lose their edge; producers in the developing world lose out on critical innovations; and American businesses lose out on those markets. Meanwhile, China is pouring money into agricultural science.
The United States must step up. Rebuilding America’s agricultural research capacity is essential to U.S. food security, farm profitability, and global competitiveness. It also provides a foundation for global food security, serving humanitarian and national security goals. A world where hundreds of millions suffer from hunger is inherently unstable.
Congress is working on a farm bill, which is traditionally the foundation for most of our public agricultural R&D. But that’s not enough. We need a once-in-a-generation investment in public agricultural R&D. We need at least $100 billion over 10 years to modernize America’s research infrastructure, accelerate innovation, and give American farmers access to new and essential technologies.
This is an opportunity to put the United States at the forefront of global agricultural innovation. We can reinvigorate the innovation pipeline — universities, federal labs, international research centers, and public-private partnerships — that translates science into tools farmers can use. We can equip farmers to build stronger agricultural systems, with climate-resilient and nutrition-rich crops, healthier soil, smarter water management, safer pesticides, precision technologies, and diversified production strategies. And we can deliver broad economic benefits, especially in rural communities.
Farmers are among the most innovative people in the economy, but innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. If we want U.S. agriculture to remain productive, profitable, and competitive, and if we want to reduce instability worldwide, we must build a research system that helps make it so.
