[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 149 (Wednesday, August 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46909-46910]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-19132]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders Regarding Assessments
Focused on Improving Food Aid and Providing Safe Water
AGENCY: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for public comment.
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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA),
formerly known as the Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service (CSREES) requests input from the public regarding (1)
the assessment of methods and tools used by non-governmental
organizations and international agencies to measure, characterize and
describe nutritional gaps among populations served by U.S. humanitarian
food assistance programs, including recommendations on how to improve
such programs in the field at the lowest possible cost, and (2) the
assessment of the most cost-effective technologies for the purification
and supply of safe water which could be implemented in the field to
benefit highly vulnerable populations, including recommendations on the
most cost-effective and commercially available systems that require
priority research assistance.
DATES: All comments must be received by close of business (5 p.m. EST)
September 3, 2010, to be considered.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by [2010-0003] by any of
the following methods to the NIFA Docket Clerk; and electronic
submissions are preferred:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected]. Include [2010-0003] in the subject
line of the message.
Fax: (202) 690-2355.
Hand Delivery/Courier: FANEP; Science and Education Resources
Development (SERD) Unit, National Institute of Food and Agriculture,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 3322 Waterfront Centre, 800 9th
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20024.
Mailing Address: FANEP; Science and Education Resources Development
(SERD) Unit, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Stop 2203,
Washington, DC 20250-2203.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and the [2010-0003] for this rulemaking. A summary of the results
obtained from the responses to this request for information will be
available to the public on the Web site http://www.regulations.gov, and
may include any personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Edwin Lewis, International Program
Leader, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Stop 2203, Washington, DC
20250-2203, Phone: (202) 720-3801.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 46910]]
Background
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), established
in Section 7511 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub.
L. 110-246), serves the nation's needs by supporting exemplary
research, education, and extension that address many challenges facing
the nation. NIFA works with scientists at universities and colleges
throughout the United States and around the world to find innovative
solutions to critical issues facing rural communities and American
consumers including global food security and hunger, climate change,
sustainable energy, childhood obesity and food safety.
Section 724 of Title VII, General Provisions, in the Agriculture,
Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Programs Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-80) provided $4 million
to the Secretary of Agriculture to award grant(s) to develop and field
test new food products designed to improve the nutritional delivery of
humanitarian food assistance provided through the McGovern-Dole
(section 3107 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7
U.S.C. 1736o-1)) and the Food for Peace title II (7 U.S.C. 1691 et
seq.) programs.
Senate Report 111-39, which accompanies Pub. L. 111-80, states in
Title I, Agricultural Programs, Production, Processing, and Marketing,
Office of the Secretary:
The Committee is aware of significant advances in food science
and technology that should be utilized to cost-effectively improve
products beneficial for use in food assistance programs and the
Secretary is directed, acting through the Undersecretary for
Research, Education, and Economics, to carry out a grants program to
better incorporate those and other advances as part of McGovern-Dole
and Food for Peace title II programs. The report continues, that the
Secretary is encouraged, through the authorities of the Research,
Education, and Economics mission area, to conduct assessments of
methods and tools used by non-governmental organizations and
international agencies to assess nutritional gaps among populations
served by U.S. humanitarian food assistance programs with
recommendations on how to improve such programs in the field at the
lowest possible cost. The Secretary should also undertake an
assessment on the most cost-effective technologies for the
purification and supply of safe water which could be implemented in
the field to benefit these highly vulnerable populations and to make
recommendations on the most cost-effective and commercially
available systems that require priority research assistance.
Invitation To Comment
As one step in conducting the assessments on Improving Food Aid and
Providing Safe Water, NIFA is soliciting input from interested
stakeholders on the following questions. Comments received will be
considered as the assessment reports are developed. NIFA will not
endorse particular products or approaches, and will focus its
assessments on the steps that are needed for improving existing methods
and technologies, or for developing new methods and technologies.
Respondents may address as many of the following questions as they
wish.
Assessing Nutritional Gaps
1. What methods and tools do non-governmental organizations and
international agencies use to assess nutritional gaps in populations
that are served by U.S. international food aid programs?
2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of those methods and
tools?
3. How could such methods and tools be made more reliable,
informative and cost-effective?
4. What additional laboratory or field-based research and
development is needed to improve such methods and tools?
5. What innovations and/or studies could lead to significant future
improvements in such methods and tools?
Assessing Safe Water Technologies
1. What are the most effective and cost-efficient, commercially
available water purification and supply technologies for serving the
safe water needs of vulnerable populations in developing countries?
2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of currently available
water purification and supply technologies?
3. What improvements are needed to make currently available water
purification and supply technologies more reliable and cost effective?
4. What additional laboratory or field-based research and
development is needed to improve such technologies?
5. What significant innovations in water purification and supply
technologies are underway?
Done at Washington, DC, on July 29, 2010.
Roger N. Beachy,
Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2010-19132 Filed 8-3-10; 8:45 am]
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