Agricultural security and durability initiative

(a) In general The Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics and the Office of the Chief Scientist, and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall support research, development, testing, evaluation, validation, demonstration, deployment, commercialization, and technology transition activities that strengthen the durability, security, and operational continuity of United States agricultural production, agrifood systems, and associated biomanufacturing capacity against supply chain disruptions, natural disasters, biological threats, and other risks to food security, agricultural durability, domestic production capacity, and economic and national security, including activities relating to— (1) agricultural biosecurity, including prevention, detection, mitigation, response, and recovery relating to plant pests, plant diseases, livestock diseases, invasive species, and other biological threats; (2) domestic production capacity and supply chain durability relating to fertilizer, feed, seed, crop protection products, agricultural machinery, food processing, agricultural feedstocks, and other critical agricultural inputs; (3) critical and emerging technologies applicable to agricultural production and food systems, including artificial intelligence, automation, robotics, remote sensing, biotechnology, advanced computing, precision agriculture, precision livestock systems, and advanced data systems; (4) agricultural and industrial biomanufacturing technologies that strengthen domestic production capacity and support critical materials, feedstocks, precursors, and inputs relevant to economic and national security; (5) water, energy, soil, forest, wildfire, and other natural resource management technologies that reduce scarcity risks and enhance agricultural durability; and (6) workforce development, testbeds, pilot projects, field validation, demonstration activities, deployment activities, and technology transition efforts that accelerate adoption of innovative agricultural technologies. (b) Activities Activities under this section may include— (1) collaboration between the Department and the Department of Defense to accelerate research, development, testing, evaluation, validation, demonstration, deployment, commercialization, and technology transition activities described in subsection (a); (2) collaboration with other Federal agencies, federally funded research and development centers, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, State departments of agriculture, agricultural experiment stations, extension services, producer organizations, nonprofit organizations, Tribal organizations, and private-sector entities; (3) use of competitive, merit-reviewed processes, as appropriate, and other mission-driven selection processes, including cooperative agreements, consortium-based awards, prize competitions, demonstration partnerships, and other mechanisms otherwise authorized by law; (4) support for pilot projects, demonstration activities, field validation efforts, and technology transition activities that accelerate adoption of innovative technologies; and (5) prioritization, to the extent practicable, of projects demonstrating clear potential to enhance food security, agricultural durability, domestic production capacity, supply chain security, biosecurity, or economic and national security. (c) Use of funds Subject to the availability of appropriations and consistent with existing authorities, the Secretary may support projects under this section, including technology maturation, validation, field testing, demonstration, deployment, commercialization, and technology transition activities. (d) Reporting (1) Implementation plan Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics and the Office of the Chief Scientist, and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives an implementation plan describing activities to be carried out under this section, including priority research areas, collaboration mechanisms, and technology transition objectives. (2) Quadrennial agricultural security and durability strategy Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 4 years thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics and the Office of the Chief Scientist, and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, shall submit to the committees described in paragraph (1) a strategy describing— (A) activities carried out under this section; (B) outcomes relating to food security, agricultural durability, domestic production capacity, and supply chain security; (C) emerging threats and vulnerabilities affecting the United States food and agriculture sector; (D) priority research and technology areas for future activities; and (E) recommendations, if any, for legislative or administrative action to strengthen the security and durability of the United States food and agriculture sector. (e) Research security Activities carried out under this section shall be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable Federal research security requirements and policies. (f) Rule of construction Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit existing authorities of the Department or the Department of Defense to conduct or support research, development, testing, evaluation, demonstration, deployment, commercialization, technology transition, or other activities otherwise authorized by law.