gardening is a key player in specialty crop and farming as a whole . In fact , the industriousness generates one - third of both all specialty crop tax revenue ( over $ 19 billion each year ) and its workforce . Yet , the manufacture receive only 12 % of Union stock earmarked for specialty crops from USDA Agricultural Research Service and USDA ’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative . The Horticultural Research Institute ( HRI ) recognized this disparity and sought a means to bring federal funding levels more in line with our economic contributions .
HRI realized the industry lacked a unified , strategic vision of research needs to provide a roadmap for future priorities that can be used to better leverage federal monetary fund while , at the same clock time , guide its own research funding decision .
With these goals in mind , HRI fix to operate . The final result was a professionally moderated , two - day stakeholder coming together , where attendees shared their corporate understanding of industry challenge , trend , and opportunities . delegate representing all segment of horticulture and neighborhood of the country assemble for a human face - to - face pinnacle to mind , learn , and share their insights with each other . Participants were encouraged to exposit their grasp by engaging in conversation with their peers in feeler of the meeting to widen their perspectives . During the tiptop , the moderator led the radical through a serial publication of discourse that culminated in a consensus on four , key research priorities .
Through these drive , HRI identified inquiry priorities to tackle the challenges , capitalize on the vogue and opportunities , good direct research investments , and leverage federal backing .
quantify industrial plant benefitsResearch that quantifies and validates the benefits of plants on ecosystem , on human wellness , and on society make value proposition that boosts sales of horticultural products and services and increases interest in horticultural careers .
The industry benefit when guild understands how plants contribute to the health and well - being of individuals and their ecosystems , as well as the resources plant produce that are often overlooked or assume for award . New enquiry regarding plant benefit need to be aline with industry priorities to keep environmental gardening at the forefront of supply sustainable green solutions for the world .
create modern solutionsResearch that create or adapts biological , mechanical , and technological systems making practices and processes more efficient and productive assistance horticultural businesses of all segments and size to increase profits .
The industry continually needs ameliorate systems to get new or improved crops with less labor , water , food , time , and/or pesticides in a safe work surroundings while adding economic value to lineament industrial plant that flourish during shipping , marketing , and consumer use . Whether in the supply chain , current armory , or on the route to end - users , crops and inputs need to be traced , measure , ordain , managed and/or better upon to provide monetary value in effect solution for producer to integrate into existing product practices . This would let in ( but not be limited to ) advances in flora breeding , crop production and protection , software , mechanization , mechanization , and logistics . Recognizing and addressing barrier to espousal will be of the essence .
Gathering consumer insightsResearch that valuate consumer behavior , consumer preferences , and consumer trend empowers horticultural businesses to optimize products and services and leads to industry - broad profitability and development .
Consumers are responsible for the wellness and successfulness of the industriousness . Therefore , producers need to understand on-going variety in consumer demographic and behaviors . Examples let in emerge market preferences , proportional buying office , and general gardening confidence . Markets , consumers , and the product they want interact and change over time . To adapt , industriousness producers need information that considers all this , yet is easy apprehensible and crafted for various segments of the diligence . Research on consumer preferences , attitudes , penury , motivations , and buy behaviors for our industriousness ’s products and services will avail caller make good concern decisions by capture what consumers want .
Producing practical and actionable solutionsResearch that tackle on-going and emerging manufacture challenge in production , resource management , or plague and disease direction furnish hard-nosed and actionable advice for horticultural stage business to better sustainability and profitability .
turbulent , ongoing , emergent subject that dispute short - term profitability and success of environmental gardening will continue to rise . Therefore , providing solutions to these challenge must remain a research precedency for backing agencies .
HRI has assume these four cardinal research priorities and will use them to channelize future HRI funding and leveraging decisions . For more data , look for the Research Roadmap Executive Summary atwww.hriresearch.org .
