Eight-page brief examines the funding and performance of agricultural R&D to assess the evolving--and complementary--roles of the public and private sectors in the U.S. agricultural research system.

ERS examines the relationship between economic conditions and participation across USDA’s five largest nutrition assistance programs, and describes how changes in policies and other factors affect participation.

The overall percentage of food-insecure U.S. households in 2011 was essentially unchanged from 2010. ERS monitors food security in an annual survey.

Agriculture accounts for 80-90 percent of U.S. consumptive water use. ERS draws on findings from several national surveys and current literature to assess water resource use and conservation measures within the irrigated crop sector.