Call for Proposals: Agro-Forestry for Timor-Leste

Deadline: 01-Jul-2024

The European Commission has launched a call for proposals to promote green development and climate action in Timor Leste.

Objectives of the Programme and Priority Issues

• The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:
  • To improve a climate change resilient agro-forestry sector that provides sustainable and fair benefits to Timorese men and women, including youth and other vulnerable groups.
  • To advance gender equality and women’s empowerment through agro-forestry development
  • To contribute to the diversification of the Timorese economy and increase food and income security by supporting the sustainable development of the agro-forestry sector.
• The priority of this call for proposals is to support the agro-forestry sectors through a holistic approach that includes at minimum:
  • A significant participatory and planning process: to consult with the targeted communities on the most suitable area for community based or individual agro-forestry interventions, through for instance Participatory Land Use Planning; preliminary and regular consultation with local and national authorities; precise stakeholder analysis that seeks for synergies and complementarities.
  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation focus: to prioritise in direct consultation with the communities the locations where agroforestry can increase resilience to climate hazards such as floods. Priority in midstream areas in degraded lands.
  • A value chain approach from production to commercialisation: it is encouraged to promote a critical mass of production for the same product that can attract the private sector; based on technical and business plans with possible involvement of microfinance for some infrastructures such as irrigation schemes or processing facilities.
  • Gender sensitivity: this programme prioritises actions that aim towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Logframe submitted with the proposal must include indicators related to these themes. Similarly, a percentage of costs should be specifically assigned to activities pursuing gender equality and women’s empowerment. The interests and needs of youth and other vulnerable groups (e.g. including people with disabilities) should be also duly considered.
  • Strengthening civil society: the projects should involve local CSOs from the definition to the implementation of the projects as an asset for local knowledge but also as means to reinforce their capacities.
  • Harmonization with Government strategies and policies: any project should be fully in line with the Government legal framework, priorities, strategies and policies.

Sectors or Themes

• Agriculture, agro-forestry, carbon farming, forestry, private sector development, employment, civil society development, policy support, gender, climate change adaptation and mitigation, micro-finance support, digitalisation, youth development.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 6,800,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.
• Indicative allocation of funds by lot/geographical distribution:
  • Lot 1: Reinforcing agro-forestry community based projects: total amount EUR 1,600,000
  • Lot 2: Supporting agro-forestry sector: total amount EUR 5,200,000
• Size of grants
  • Lot 1: Reinforcing agro-forestry community based projects 
    • Any grant requested under this lot must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
      • maximum amount: EUR 800,000
      • minimum amount: EUR 400,000
  • Lot 2: Supporting agro-forestry sector 
    • Any grant requested under this lot must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
      • maximum amount: EUR 2,600,000
      • minimum amount: EUR 1,800,000

Duration

• The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 36 months nor exceed 60 months.

Types of Activity

• Lot 1: Reinforcing agro-forestry community-based projects (non-exhaustive list)
  • Proposal of agro-forestry plans for each community/suko.
  • Identify and introduce new approaches and business models adapted to the climate change context to promote and diversify agro-forestry production and increase the income and food security of rural and vulnerable households in Timor-Leste. Development of agro-forestry models.
  • Reinforcement and construction of small infrastructures for further agroforestry activities: nurseries, water harvesting in identified plot, protective fence, soil conservation practices, etc.
  • Development of training, capacity building and technical assistance, on tree planting, soil conservation and other technical aspects of agroforestry (including mainstreaming agroecology principles).
  • Identification and promotion of high demand (and high-value) crops and animals suitable for national/international market and positive to environment and biodiversity.
• Lot 2: Supporting agro-forestry sector (non-exhaustive list)
  • Participatory Land Use Planning at community level in order to identify agro-forestry potential adapted to local culture, geography, ecology, climate and market opportunities. Workshops/trainings/roundtables on land rights and land mapping.
  • National, regional and local mapping of degraded land potentially suitable for agro-forestry, with particular attention on areas sensitive to climate hazards, such as floods or drought.
  • Proposal of agro-forestry plans for each community/suko.
  • Identify and introduce new approaches and business models adapted to the climate change context to promote and diversify agro-forestry production and increase the income and food security of rural and vulnerable households in Timor-Leste. Development of agro-forestry models.
  • Reinforcement and construction of small infrastructures for further agroforestry activities: nurseries, water harvesting in identified plot, protective fence, soil conservation practices, etc.

Location

• Actions must take place in Timor-Leste.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lot 1: Reinforcing agro-forestry community-based projects
  • Lead applicant
    • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
      • be a legal person, and
      • be non-profit making, or
      • be profit making economic operators, or
      • be a civil society organisation (CSO), and
      • be established in Timor-Leste and be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary
    • The lead applicant may act individually or with co-applicant(s)
• Lot 2: Supporting agro-forestry sector
  • Lead applicant
    • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
      • be a legal person, and
      • be non-profit making, or
      • be profit making economic operators, or
      • be a civil society organisation (CSO) , or
      • be an international (inter-governmental) organisation as defined by Article 156 of the EU Financial Regulation, and
      • be established in Timor-Leste, in a member State of the European Union or one of the eligible countries as stipulated in Article 28 of the Regulation (EU) 2021/947 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 June 2021 establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument. This obligation does not apply to international organisations, and
      • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary,
    • The lead applicant must act with co-applicant(s) as specified hereafter:
    • Lead applicants that are not established in Timor-Leste must act together with at least one co-applicant that is established in Timor-Leste.
• For both lots: 
  • Co-applicant(s)
    • Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
    • Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
    • In addition to the categories referred, the following are however also eligible: local authorities and public bodies.
    • Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.
    • If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) (if any) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the coordinator)
  • Affiliated entities
    • The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).
    • Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co-applicant(s):
      • Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
      • This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
        • Control on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
          • Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
            • Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
            • Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
            • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
        • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association,) as the proposed affiliated entities.

For more information, visit EC.