ARS partners with research universities in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas in the Lower Mississippi Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative (NIRI). NIRI applies state-of-the-art nutrition tools to solve nutrition problems within the Delta and to contribute to the future health and well-being of the citizens of the region. To date, the Research Committee of NIRI has approved letters of intent for nine Delta research proposals, including proposals from Alcorn University, Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Southern University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, University of Southern Mississippi, and Pennington Biomedical Research Center.