Deadline: 20-Jul-22
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is accepting proposals from Non-Governmental Organizations/ Civil Society Organizations (NGOs/CSOs) within the framework of the initiative: “Social Innovation Platform for Sustainable Food Systems at Subnational Level in the Southern Border Provinces”.
UNDP aims to shift from single-point solutions and linear projects to an open innovation platform (variety of actors, methodologies, and interconnected actions) that is holistically framed by the principle of SDGs integration and consistent with the UNDP Country Programme Document for Thailand (2022 – 2026).
Purpose
- Proposed grant activities should focus on promoting sustainable agri-food production and sourcing across its value chain as well as ensuring equitable access to healthy food for local populations in the southern border provinces (Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla, and Yala).
- In this regard, the grant will seek:
- To enhance entrepreneurial skills and participatory sustainable practices for upstream food producers especially smallholder farmers and fishers diversifying business opportunities and value addition to local food produces.
- To raise awareness and build capacities for practices of responsible and healthy sourcing of food among institutional buyers such as local markets, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools, etc.
- To co-design and establish a strong structure of collective/ cooperatives that help disseminate/sale local food produces and handle strategic marketing with business partners from various sectors.
- To demonstrate or scale up inclusive and sustainable practices in the organization of creative festivals and events for collective impacts on food systems.
- To strengthen a gender balanced cross-community network of local farmers, food suppliers, local governments, private sector, and CSOs including women’s organizations, to assess, manage, and share information on food quality, food security, traceability, and their impacts on various groups in society using digital technology.
Scope
- The proposals shall take an innovative approach aimed at raising awareness, building capacity, collective actions and partnerships among agri-food producers and institutional consumers on responsible and smart production, healthy consumption, and green & healthy procurement that will ultimately improve their livelihood, market competitiveness, health, and wellbeing of local populations in the southern border provinces (Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla, and Yala).
- In addition, applying organizations shall use a social innovation approach and take into consideration principles of non-discrimination, gender equality and inclusion of marginalized and vulnerable groups when developing proposals. Throughout the implementation of projects, UNDP will support capacity building and transfer to necessary knowledge to strengthen grant recipients in effectively adopting those approaches and processes.
- Applying organizations are expected to devise proposals which would offer practical solutions to achieve desired results, as explained below in the intervention areas. Applying organizations are encouraged to consider the development of a CSO coalition/platform.
Topics
Possible topics for grant projects include but are not limited to:
- Training local farmers, fishers, and interested persons to be qualified and digitally equipped inspectors of organic agriculture and participatory guaranteed systems and well-equipped and digitally adopted entrepreneurs;
- Identifying demand of healthy, responsible, traceable food sources in the southern border provinces and challenges among institutional buyers (businesses and government institutions);
- Establishing the active provincial network of chefs, hotels, restaurants, catering business, and other providers in the tourism /hospitality sector and co-designing mechanisms that promote local, sustainable, and healthy sourcing of food for the industry;
- Co-creation and entrepreneurial activities between networks of small-scale food producers and institutional buyers to build cross-sector partnership in each province;
- Demonstrating models of inclusive and sustainable practices in the organization of creative festivals and events for collective impacts on food systems; and
- Digital platforms/technology connecting local farmers, food suppliers, local governments, schools, hospitals, restaurants, catering businesses, other service providers, private sector, and CSOs to assess, manage, and share information on food quality, food security, and traceability.
The proposals should include a clearly articulated theory of change and demonstrate how the lasting impact in each area is expected to be achieved. Particular attention will be paid to the community participation and sustainability of proposed actions.
Funding Information
- Under the small grants programme, UNDP will contribute approximately USD 10,000 for each successful proposal.
- Proposals with project staff salary costs exceeding 25% of the total budget will be disqualified without further consideration. Co-funding and in-house contributions are strongly encouraged.
Eligibility Criteria
- Only local, national or community-based non-governmental and not-for-profit civil society organization that work on sustainable agriculture and fishery, food security, or small-scale entrepreneurial development and with at least three (3) years of proven experience, can apply for this grant. Experience working with agri-food networks and associations will be considered an asset.
- Government authorities and for-profit (commercial, private market) actors cannot apply but may participate as cooperation and learning partners in the project or be part of a coalition where a civil society organization is the main applicant.
- Applying organizations might consider the development of a CSO coalition/platform. In case of coalition, the main applicant shall have at least three (3) years of proven experience in sustainability, human rights and community development, whereas co-applicants shall have at least one (1) year of proven experience in similar areas.
For more information, visit https://www.undp.org/thailand/news/national-call-proposal-grant-submission-ngos/csos-acceleration-responsible-consumption-and-production-local-food-systems-southern