NIFA
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA, formerly CSREES) is the federal partner for EDEN and also appoints programmatic and funding liaison(s) to EDEN. NIFA (CSREES) liaisons have been very active in the network since its inception in 1994. NIFA (CSREES) has been actively engaged in, and supportive of, the network's efforts to reduce the impacts of disaster. EDEN's base funding for communication and network support comes from NIFA; these funds have also supported development of several EDEN educational resources and programs, and our collaboration with eXtension.
NIFA was organized in October 2010 for the purpose, stated in the 2008 Farm Bill, of integrating programs across functions, funding authorities, and funding mechanisms, with a goal of optimizing the organizational configuration to effectively serve stakeholders and enhance the quality, relevancy, and performance of the programs. NIFA's mission is "Leading Food and Agricultural Sciences to Create a Better Future for the Nation and the World."