Agrosecurity: The Role of the Agricultural Experiment Stations

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In order to protect the nation's agriculture and food processing systems from the new threat of bioterror‐ism, agricultural and food technology research must be effectively harnessed and applied. The U.S. conducts the majority of its agricultural research through state‐based Agricultural Experiment Stations. To respond to the new challenges of biosecurity, and to facilitate communication between the federal research system and the state‐based agricultural research system, the Directors of the State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) facilitated the creation of a National Institute for Agricultural Security (NIAS). The mission of NIAS is to help address national homeland security and biosecurity issues that affect the nation's farms and ranches, food production and distribution system, and rural communities by harnessing, coordinating, and targeting agricultural research and food science technology projects. NIAS was created to provide a “front door” and “one‐stop shopping” for federal agencies and the public. NIAS is currently developing projects to improve site security at SAES field stations and laboratories. The Institute is facilitating the development of prototype‐secured information technology networks. NIAS is serving as a liaison to federal agency offices to help identify high priority agricultural and food science research needs. The Institute is also exploring the possibility of collaborating in the development of regional pathogen outbreak simulations with the regional university coordinators of the Dept. of Agriculture's National Plant Diagnostics Network (NPDN). NIAS is collaborating with the Institute for Countermeasures Against Bioterrorism to host an international workshop on the managing of events when harmful pathogens are introduced into the food supply. And, NIAS is exploring the potential role of university Cooperative Extension Service as part of the “first responder network,” as “first detectors,” and as facilitators for helping rural community leaders plan to address homeland security concerns.