The application process is simple. Write an application letter and state your work or job, how your travel will help you learn about IPM and how you will share what you learn with growers back at home. Funds are available for agriculture professionals in the private sector as well as those who work for public universities. For complete information on how to apply, see the Request for Applications at the link.

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This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits from eligible entities project proposals to receive financial assistance through the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program. CARE is a unique community-based, community-driven, multimedia demonstration program designed to help communities understand and reduce risks due to toxic pollutants and environmental concerns from all sources. The CARE grant program works with the eligible entities to help their communities form collaborative partnerships, develop an understanding of the many local sources of risk from toxic pollutants and environmental concerns, set priorities, and identify and carry out projects to reduce risks through collaborative action at the local level. CARE’s long-term goal is to help communities build self-sustaining, community-based partnerships that will continue to improve human health and local environments into the future. The objective of the CARE grant program is to work collaboratively within the community to investigate the effectiveness of the CARE process--whether this cross-Agency, multi-media program provides greater environmental benefits than either non-collaborative or single media approaches.

for more information, follow the web link.

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New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker today announced the availability of funding for community gardens throughout the State. The Community Garden Organization Capacity Building Grant Program will provide up to $5,000 per applicant on a first come, first served basis to strengthen existing community gardens and support local garden coalitions.

Community gardens are important assets for people who live in our cities, as they provide open space and access to healthy, nutritious food. This one-time grant offering will provide up to $5,000 with no financial match required for capacity building efforts such as leadership development, organizational planning, membership recruitment activities and community programs. With a total of $50,000 available, the Community Garden Organization Capacity Building Grant Program will dedicate half of the resources to upstate projects and half to downstate.

Eligible organizations must manage a community garden on public or private lands, have at least ten members, and located in one of the 14 eligible cities with a population of 45,000 people or more. They must also be an existing community garden organization or multiple gardens organizations working in partnership as a coalition. The eligible upstate cities are Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Schenectady, Utica, Niagara Falls, Troy, and Binghamton. The eligible downstate cities are New York, Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, and White Plains.

Applications for the Community Garden Organization Capacity Building Grant Program are available by contacting the Department at 1-800-544-4501 or by downloading the form from the Departments website at http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/RFPS.html. Applications will only be accepted between March 4 and May 4, 2009, or until funds are exhausted.

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Email: jane@ofrf.org
Phone: 831-426-6606 [Printable Version]

Learn more at: http://ofrf.org/grants/apply_education&outreach.html

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The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) was established to solve critical industry issues through research and extension activities. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. SCRI will give priority to projects that are multistate, multi-institutional, or trans-disciplinary; and include explicit mechanisms to communicate results to producers and the public. Projects must address at least one of five focus areas: research in plant breeding, genetics, and genomics to improve crop characteristics; efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases, including threats to specialty crop pollinators; efforts to improve production efficiency, productivity, and profitability over the long term; new innovations and technology, including improved mechanization and technologies that delay or inhibit ripening; and methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential food safety hazards in the production and processing of specialty crops.

See web link for details; letter of intent due 3/23/09, proposal due 4/15/09

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This is a Program Announcement (PA) for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). AFRI combines elements of the former National Research Initiative (NRI) and Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS) programs and is the new core competitive grant program for research, education, and extension. It is anticipated that the complete Request for Applications, which will contain the application submission instructions and be accompanied by required application forms, will be made available in early 2009 on the CSREES Web site and the Grants.gov Web site. This AFRI PA contains opportunities for support of research, education, and extension priorities.

This PA is being released prior to the passage of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Agricultural Appropriations Act. The release of this PA is to inform the applicant community of upcoming research, education, and extension opportunities through the AFRI program to fund issues critical to agriculture. The enactment of the FY 2009 Appropriations Act may impact the overall level of funding for the AFRI program. Hence, the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) reserves the right to amend, delete, or otherwise alter any programs. Depending on the FY 2009 Appropriations Act, CSREES may be issuing a supplemental RFA to address topics already identified in this PA. Updated information about the AFRI program will be made available on the AFRI Web site: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/afri/afri.html and the CSREES funding pagehttp://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/funding.cfm

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CIG enables NRCS to work with other public and private entities to accelerate technology transfer and adoption of promising technologies and approaches to address some of the Nation's most pressing natural resource concerns. CIG will benefit agricultural producers by providing more options for environmental enhancement and compliance with Federal, State, and local regulations. NRCS administers CIG.

Please see the program web page for the complete RFA.

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