United States-Israel Agriculture Cooperation Improvement and Expansion Act

This bill amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to enhance the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD Fund). The BARD Fund, established in 1977, is a competitive program supporting collaborative agricultural research between the U.S. and Israel. The bill expands the fund's geographic scope to include Abraham Accords Declaration signatories , Arab States that have normalized relations with Israel, and other interested nations, while also adding support for mid-stage research projects. Furthermore, the legislation establishes a new BARD Fund Accelerator program designed to fast-track cooperative research and accelerate the successful development of agricultural innovations. This accelerator will support mid-stage research based on technology readiness levels, providing management guidance and technical assistance to scientists. The bill authorizes appropriations of $8,000,000 annually for the BARD Fund and $12,000,000 annually for the accelerator program for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.