Strategic Plan

NIFA's Strategic Plan is the agency's roadmap to achieving its mission and reaching its vision. This plan guides the goals of the agency, influencing the planning of programs, investment of resources, and cultivation of partnerships with our stakeholders. Here you can view NIFA's strategic plan and these goals.

Our Mission: Invest in and advance agricultural research, education, and extension to solve societal challenges.

Our Vision: Catalyze transformative discoveries, education, and engagement to address agricultural challenges.

The 2014-2018 NIFA Strategic Plan enables us to keep focused on our mission and vision by incorporating four major goals into how we plan programs, invest resources, and cultivate partnerships with stakeholders.  

• Goal 1 - Science: Catalyze exemplary and relevant research, education and extension programs. 
• Goal 2 - People: Transform NIFA into a model agency with a highly motivated workforce. 
• Goal 3 - Process: Institutionalize streamlined, effective technologies, policies, and processes. 
• Goal 4 - Communication: Advance America's global preeminence in food and agricultural sciences. 

As an agency of the USDA, we remain committed to ensuring our actionable strategies align with USDA goals and objectives as well as those of the Research, Education and Economics (REE) mission area. Consult the USDA Strategic Plan and the REE Action Plan to learn more.

The strategic plan was also developed taking into account Administration and Congressional priorities, stakeholder input, NIFA's portfolio assessments, other federal agencies, and professional organizations.