Deadline: 31-May-22
The Public Affairs Section (PAS) Mumbai is seeking proposals to promote environmentally sustainable agricultural practices and foster adaptability to climate change through capacity development of farming communities in India.
This project supports the U.S. Department of State’s goals of facilitating economic development and addressing global climate change by promoting sustainable agricultural practices in India through the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA), defined by the World Bank as “an integrated approach to managing landscapes — cropland, livestock, forests, and fisheries — that address the interlinked challenges of food security and climate change.”
Objectives
- Train 50-60 representatives/members of farming communities and influencers of western India in climate-smart agriculture principles and techniques in one year.
- A successful grantee will work closely with farming communities to provide training and coaching to successfully apply CSA that fits within the local environmental, market, cultural, and regulatory contexts. The project leads will engage influencers in rural communities and local government to promote long-term policy change and wider adoption of CSA.
- A successful proposal will address how the project addresses the three strategic pillars of the program: engage, educate, and empower.
- Engage: Applicants should describe a robust and clear plan to engage with the target audience to assess the particular needs of, and challenges experienced by, local farmers. Engagement with influencers and farmers could be through one-on-one meetings, virtual interactions, and intensive in-person or online training workshops.
- Educate: The applicant should clearly describe and, if possible, provide relevant training modules and agricultural techniques, best practices, and course materials. The proposal should demonstrate how the training has been designed to maximize adoption by the target audience.
- Empower: The applicant should demonstrate knowledge of relevant ongoing government schemes and programs as well as the ability to connect farmer associations or communities with relevant organizations that can monitor, guide, and help with resources required in staying the course.
- Finally, as the project is being funded as a U.S. public diplomacy activity, a successful proposal will also include a clear and strong U.S. element, such as the use of American expert trainers/advisors or the teaching of best practices/techniques from the United States as used by alumni of U.S. exchange and educational programs.
Project Goal: To promote environmentally sustainable agricultural practices and foster adaptability to climate change through the capacity development of farming communities in India.
Funding Information
- Funding Mechanism Type: Grant
- Estimated Total Project Funding: USD 40,000
- Estimated Award Ceiling (Maximum): USD 40,000
- Estimated Award Floor (Minimum): USD 25,000
- Length of Project Period: Not to exceed 12 months
- Anticipated program start date: September 1, 2022
Project Audience(s):
- Primary audiences from western India are:
- farmers’ associations and
- agricultural cooperatives
- Secondary audiences from western India are:
- influencers (policymakers, local community leaders, political leaders, research scholars, bloggers, vloggers, and media organizations).
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations
- Civil society/non-governmental organizations
- Think tanks
- Public and private educational institutions
- Individuals
- Public International Organizations and Governmental institutions
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=339325