REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
1999 SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION GRANTS FOR:
- CROP & LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
- AGROFORESTRY
- COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
- PUBLIC POLICY
PROPOSALS DUE: JANUARY 6, 1999
The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) is soliciting proposals for new and continuing research and education projects that will advance the mission and goals of this program.
Program Goals: SAREP works to ensure that
- California farmers and ranchers are more able to manage their land and businesses in ways that are economically viable and that protect and enhance both human and natural resources.
- Consumers have a closer connection to agriculture and Californias communities are strengthened through participation in sustainable food systems.
- Government programs and policies encourage and support the development of sustainable farms, ranches and communities in California.
Please consult our publications for specific methods and examples of projects that address these goals. Free publications include a five-page paper, What is Sustainable Agriculture?, our Biennial Report: 1995-1997, and the Winter/Spring 1998 edition of our newsletter, Sustainable Agriculture. All are available on SAREPs web site (www.sarep.ucdavis.edu)or by request from SAREP at (530) 752-7556.
Note: Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for
Graduate Student Awards and for Educational Events (meetings,
demonstrations, and field days) have been previously released.
The due date for these proposals is November 6, 1998. We are also
simultaneously releasing separate RFPs for both Biologically
Integrated Farming Systems Projects and
Methyl Bromide Research Projects. All RFPs may be obtained on
SAREPs web site (www.sarep.ucdavis.edu) or by
contacting the SAREP office (530) 752-7556.
CRITERIA
All proposals will be judged according to the following criteria-
Scientific Merit: Are the methods clearly defined and appropriate to achieve the stated objectives? Has the Principal Investigator demonstrated a thorough review of published literature and/or related projects and activities? Do the individuals and organizations submitting the proposal have adequate qualifications and relevant experience?
Relevance: Does the project help achieve SAREPs mission and at least one of SAREPs program goals? Does it clearly demonstrate how the issues or problems being researched are important to sustainable agriculture in California?
Participant Involvement: Does the proposal demonstrate that end-users were included in the development of the project or will be part of the implementation? For larger, collaborative projects, does it foster collaboration that educates and links a variety of players in the food system? (Possible participants include farmers, farmworkers, distributors, researchers, farm advisors, non-profit groups, policymakers, community organizations, and consumers.)
Impact: Does the project produce new information, or make accessible existing information, that reaches a significant audience and has a timely and tangible impact?
Cost-Effectiveness: Does the proposal provide evidence that the money requested will be used effectively and is realistic given the objectives of the project? Are the funds requested reasonable in relation to the expected benefits of the project? Do the project plans provide leveraging of other resources by offering matching funds or in-kind contributions?
FUNDING PRIORITIES
We wish to fund a mix of projects reflecting the agricultural and geographic diversity in the state, projects useful to both large and small farmers and ranchers, as well as farmworkers, distributors, and consumers. The specific possibilities mentioned in each area below are intended to give suggestions but not to limit possible proposals. Projects that creatively link researchers with other partners (e.g. on-farm research projects) are particularly welcome. Projects that focus exclusively on research will also be considered, especially when it can be demonstrated that the results will be useful to ongoing or future development of sustainable food and agricultural systems.
Crop and Livestock Production
Proposals should be explicitly linked to the principles of sustainable farming practices including:
- Management of the soil to enhance soil quality and reduce the off-site movement of soil, nutrients and pesticides;
- Reduced reliance on agricultural chemicals;
- Increased reliance on biological and cultural controls and other methods that are environmentally safe and reduce the use of nonrenewable energy;
- Diversification of crops and/or livestock and the surrounding habitat to enhance the biological and economic stability of the farm or ranch.
We encourage research proposals that support existing or enable new biologically integrated farming systems extension projects. Information on existing biologically integrated farming systems extension projects is available on SAREPs web site (www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/bifs/) or by request from SAREP at (530) 752-7556.
Within these general principles, the following topics are of particular interest:
Agroforestry
We encourage projects that increase understanding of
management systems involving trees and/or shrubs deliberately
combined with crops and/or livestock. We invite proposals that
would increase technical knowledge and awareness among
practitioners and resource professionals of the agronomic,
biological and economic value of agroforestry practices in
California, i.e. alley cropping, silvopasture, forest farming,
windbreaks and riparian buffer strips. We are especially
interested in projects that will:
- Provide practical information about complementary species, management requirements, and economic production budgets for agroforestry practices
- Directly involve private landowners in the process of deciding the priorities, implementing and applying agroforestry research and education projects
- Add an agroforestry component to an ongoing funded project
- Produce a handbook on agroforestry for California
[Grants for agroforestry projects will be supported from a
special donor-directed fund established through
a grant from the International Tree Crops Institute USA Inc.
General information about temperate
agroforestry practices can be obtained by contacting: National
Agroforestry Center, USDA NRCS/FS,
East Campus-UNL, Lincoln, NE 68583, Tel. (402) 437-5178,
www.unl.edu/nac. Association for
Temperate Agroforestry, 1-30 Agriculture Building, University of
Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, Tel.
(573) 882-3647, www.missouri.edu/~afta.]
Soil Management
We encourage projects that address the following topics
for research or education: improvement of soil fertility,
nutrient cycling, improvement of soil structure and water
penetration, suppression of soil-borne pathogens, improvement of
erosion control, and improvement of our understanding of basic
soil processes. Specific practices that are used to achieve these
goals may include:
- Crop rotation
- Cover cropping
- Addition of composts, manure, mulches, or similar materials
- Micro-, meso-, and macrofaunal enhancement
- Modified tillage
- Irrigation techniques and technology
Habitat Management for Biological and Cultural Pest
Control
Projects are encouraged that increase our understanding of the
control of insect, weed, disease, or vertebrate pests through the
manipulation of habitats within, on or adjacent to crops.
Specific practices may include:
- Crop rotation
- Sanitation
- Cover cropping
- Use of insectary plants or hedgerows
- Use of trap crops or antagonistic plants
- Enhancement of riparian areas
- Application of mulches
- Installation of raptor nest boxes or perches
- Other innovative methods for biological or cultural control
Animal Production
Proposals that address the following issues or other
factors related to sustainable animal agriculture are invited:
- Waste management and nutrient cycling
- Animal welfare
- Rural community effects
- Marketing and consumer issues
- Rangeland health, watershed management, and water quality
Economic Analysis
Projects in this category include those that assess the costs and
returns to farmers and ranchers of different management practices
and systems. We are particularly interested in projects that
compare practices and systems that are thought to be more
environmentally and/or socially advantageous than those currently
practiced. The analysis should assess costs and returns within
the current economic and regulatory context.
Community Development
The following topics are of particular interest:
Community Food Systems
We are seeking to fund long-term, collaborative projects
that work toward the goal of integrating sustainable food
production, processing, distribution and consumption to enhance
the economic and social health of a city, county, or region. Such
projects should be designed to increase community participation
in several of the following areas:
- Improve access to a healthful food supply by all community members
- Support a stable base of family farms that use biologically integrated farming practices
- Generate marketing and processing practices that create more direct and beneficial links between farmers and consumers
- Develop food and agriculture-related businesses that create jobs and recirculate financial capital in the community
- Improve working and living conditions of farm laborers
- Create food and agriculture policies that promote local food production, processing and consumption
Marketing, Consumer Education and Community Food
Security
Projects are encouraged that:
- Develop and evaluate a model that facilitates direct marketing and/or value-added returns to growers
- Analyze the feasibility of regional ag marketing programs or eco-labeling programs
- Develop and evaluate a model to educate consumers about their role in sustainable food systems
- Develop and evaluate a model that links low-income residents in rural and/or inner-city communities with local agriculture
Community Economic Development
Projects are encouraged that:
- Analyze how agricultural practices and structures contribute to the viability of California communities
- Analyze how entrepreneurial community gardens or other urban agriculture projects contribute to community economic, social and political development
- Assess how agriculture networks, marketing cooperatives or other collaborations contribute to sustainable community development
Food Policy Councils
We invite proposals that:
- Develop and evaluate food policy councils as models for planning community food and agricultural systems
- Evaluate the impacts of existing food policy councils
Public Policy
Projects in this category can include those that analyze the impact of current local, state, and federal government policies on the sustainability of California agriculture. We are also interested in projects that assess the costs, benefits and political feasibility of policy alternatives. Topic areas include, but are not limited to:
- Farmland preservation and land use
- Water issues
- Farm labor
- Agrichemical use reduction
- Economic and policy incentives that encourage growers, processors, or retailers and others to make or support the transition to sustainable agriculture
ELIGIBILITY AND FUNDING
Eligible applicants include researchers affiliated with California non-profit, tax-exempt organizations and California public and private institutions of higher education. "California non-profit, tax-exempt organization" is defined as any organization which is operating in California and legally exempt from taxes imposed by the California Franchise Tax Boards revenue and taxation codes. Former SAREP grant recipients are eligible for funding unless the required report from their previous grant is delinquent. SAREP staff and members of SAREPs Public Advisory and Technical Advisory Committees are not eligible to participate as principal investigator, investigator, or cooperator on any project. Proposals will be rejected if they include investigators or cooperators who are on SAREPs staff or Public Advisory Committee (PAC) or Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Current members are: PAC Ron Alves, Robert Bornt, Cynthia Cory, Frank Dawley, Debra Denton, Leonard Diggs, Jeff Dlott, James Liebman, Tim ONeill, An Peischel, Jim Rider, Michael Straus, Brock Taylor, and Beth von Gunten; TAC - Edith Allen, Ernst Biberstein, Steve Blank, Caroline Bledsoe, Holly Brown-Williams, Robert Gottlieb, Blaine Hanson, Tim Hartz, Donald Klingborg, Craig Kolodge, Rachel Mabie, Janet Savage, Paul Siri, Doreen Stabinsky, Caroline Stull, Rob Thayer, Joanna Wheatley, and Joan Wright.
Total funding available is expected to be approximately $225,000. We are interested in funding a variety of small projects, with typical awards of $5,000-20,000, but larger budgets will be considered if well justified. Larger awards are reserved for integrative and interdisciplinary projects that involve teams of researchers, or for projects that link a range of players and constituent groups within agriculture and the food system.
Some multiple-year projects may be conditionally approved for up to three years, contingent upon availability of funds and receipt of satisfactory progress reports. In view of limited funds available, requests for multiple-year funding must be well justified. Multiple-year project proposals should indicate total length (number of years) with a work plan and budget for up to three years. Funding of previously funded projects will be dependent on provision of matching funds or in-kind contributions.
SUBMITTAL AND REVIEW SCHEDULE
Proposal packets must be received by 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 6, 1999. Proposals received after the deadline will not be reviewed. Proposals will not be accepted via FAX. Proposal packets must include:
- Signed original and 15 copies (double-sided preferred) of the full proposal.
- 30 copies of Sections A & B of the proposal (cover page including the complete summary and budget).
- Copy of full proposal on computer diskette, labeled with P.I. name and word processing program used (we prefer MS Word for Windows or rich text format). Alternately, an attached copy of the file can be emailed to baransom@ucdavis.edu. Please contact SAREP if this requirement presents an undue hardship.
Proposal packets should be sent to:
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616-8716
Physical location for delivery services (UPS, Federal Express, etc.): DANR Building, Hopkins Road (off Hutchison Road west of Highway 113).
All proposals will be reviewed by members of SAREPs Public and Technical advisory committees. These include individuals from farming and ranching, government, public organizations, and institutions of higher education, all of whom are knowledgeable regarding the issues and practices of sustainable agriculture. Where necessary, additional peer review for scientific merit will be sought. Successful applicants will be notified of awards in early April 1999. Applicants from outside of the University of California should be aware that additional time is required to initiate a contract in order to award grant funds.
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS
The body of the proposal (Sections C-H) must not exceed five single-spaced typewritten pages 10 pt. font or larger. Other required sections include cover page, budget, literature cited, signatures, and resumes.
A. Cover Page
Use the cover page provided, or an exact duplicate of it, for
the requested information. The summary should be 200 words or
less and may be continued on a separate page if necessary. The
proposal should be approved and cosigned by the principal
investigator and an official representative of the
investigators organization.
B. Budget and other Grant Support
Prepare a budget table for each year (up to three years) in the
following format. Show amounts and sources of matching funds from
the host institution and/or other sources. Matching funds are not
required, but projects which show substantial matching funds
(including in-kind contributions) are desirable. Funds awarded in
April 1999 must be used by June 30, 2000.
Requested Funds |
Matching Funds (4) |
Source of Matching Funds |
|
Personnel: Name and/or payroll title and % time |
|||
Employee Benefits | |||
Supplies and Expenses (1) | |||
Permanent Equipment (2) | |||
Travel (3) | |||
TOTALS |
(1) List by major category, with costs, and justification for categories over $500. Reimbursement of growers for potential crop loss is not allowed.
(2) List specific items, their cost, and justification for each item. Equipment requests are scrutinized carefully, and are generally not approved unless the equipment is crucial to the project and access is not available by means other than purchase.
(3) Indicate destination(s), estimate number of trips and cost of each.
(4) Include in-kind contributions.
Use the following format to identify support for all current and pending projects of the principal investigator(s), not just those pertaining to this proposal. Where listed grant support overlaps or complements the proposal, the tie between existing and/or pending support and the proposal must be explained. How will the total support package tie together? All current research to which principal investigator(s) have committed a portion of their time must be listed, whether or not salary is included in the budgets of the various projects. Provide analogous information for all proposed research which is being considered by, or which will be submitted in the near future to, other possible sponsors.
Title of Project |
Supporting Agency |
Total $ Amount |
Effective & Expiration Dates |
% of P.I. Time Committed |
Current: Pending: |
C. Objectives
A clear, concise, and complete statement of each specific
research or educational objective.
D. Justification
Describe the importance of the proposed research, and how it
addresses SAREPs mission and goals. Indicate the
projects potential for measurable progress toward long-term
solution(s) of the sustainability problem(s) you are addressing.
Describe how the project results contribute to the sustainable
functioning of the entire food or fiber production system. Cite
prior research and/or the results of other related projects or
activities that provide a foundation for your project.
E. Procedures
For each objective clearly define and describe the research or
educational methods you propose to employ. Indicate data to be
gathered and analyses to be used.
F. Education and Outreach
Describe the educational uses of the project and the avenues
planned for outreach.
G. Evaluation
Describe how you will evaluate the impact of the project.
H. Time Table
Outline your time table for the phases of research and education,
including the completion date(s). Identify date(s) of all
milestones and products, including field days and other outreach
activities. Due to our funding cycle, the first budget year can
begin as early as April 1, 1999 and must end by June 30, 2000.
I. Literature Cited
J. Required Signatures
Provide a brief summary of each investigators and
cooperators role in the project. All investigators should
include the percentage of their time that will be committed to
the project. A signature is required from each investigator
and cooperator to indicate their willingness to participate in
this project as described. (This requirement could be
fulfilled by a letter of intent from each cooperator.)
K. Resumes
Attach a one-page resume (no more than one page) for each investigator.
L. Mailing Label for Notification
If you wish to be notified that we have received your proposal, please include a self-addressed mailing label on top of your proposal packet.
Further Information
If you have any questions, please call Bev Ransom, grants manager, at (530) 754-8546 or baransom@ucdavis.edu
The University of California, in accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, medical condition (cancer-related), ancestry, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation, or status as a Vietnam-era veteran or special disabled veteran.
Inquiries regarding the Universitys nondiscrimination policies may be directed to the Affirmative Action Director, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1111 Franklin St., 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607. (510) 9870096.
Cover Page- UC SAREP 1999 Research & Education Proposals
Attach a completed copy of this page to each copy of your proposal.
Project Title:____________________________________________________________________________________________
Principal Investigator (main contact):
Name ______________________ College/University or non-profit org.
______________________
Mailing Address __________________________________________________________________________
Telephone __________________ Email ____________________ FAX
_____________________
Other Investigators:
Name & Affiliation
Mailing Address
Telephone
Email
Cooperators:
Name & Affiliation
Mailing Address
Telephone
Email
Budget Totals: (Total requested from SAREP)
Year 1:___________
Year 2: ___________
Year 3: ___________
Keywords: (List a maximum of 10 keywords that characterize your project.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
County(ies) project would be conducted in: ____________ Crop(s) if applicable: _______________
Summary: (200 words or less; continue on a separate page if necessary)
Approvals:
___________________________
Principal Investigator
Office of Research/Representative
of Organization
___________________
for University P.I.s:
Department Chair
_________________
__________________________
for UC Coop
Ext: County
Director
& Regional Director