May 4, 2012
AMES, Iowa — The Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University has received a $768,000 competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support the center's work in policy analysis.
The grant will fund analysis focused on farm and agriculture; the environment; rural economies; and consumer, food and nutrition.
"We will be able to support critical economic modeling infrastructure that allows us to deliver research findings addressing issues such as the design of farm programs, water quality, health and nutrition programs, rural development and many others," said Cathy Kling, CARD's interim director and an Iowa State economics professor.
Kling said the grant marks an important transition for CARD towards competitive grants and away from Congressionally directed funding, or earmarks.
"This grant show our capacity to thrive in a post-earmark environment," she said. "The recent shift away from earmarks has posed challenges, but the center's ability to compete effectively for grant funding highlights the significance of its work."
"In a constantly changing federal funding landscape, we are continuously challenged to demonstrate that we have the expertise and capacity to deliver cutting-edge, policy-relevant research that meets the highest academic standards," said Kling. "I am delighted that CARD faculty and staff were successful in this first attempt to compete for these significant research dollars."
Since 1958, CARD has conducted innovative public policy and economic research on agricultural, environmental, and food issues designed to inform and benefit society. CARD researchers develop and apply economic theory, quantitative methods, and interdisciplinary approaches to create relevant knowledge. Communication efforts target state and federal policymakers; the research community; agricultural, food, and environmental groups; individual decision makers; and international audiences. CARD is located in the Department of Economics at Iowa State.