2021 AGROFORESTRY OUTREACH PROPOSALS

Description

BackgroundThe U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) requests proposals to substantially expand and accelerate the availability of science-based information to inform producer decisions on the adoption and design of agroforestry systems. Agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits.The agreements awarded under this announcement will support the USDA goal to strengthen the stewardship of private lands through technology and research, and the need by natural resource professionals for information that supports producer adoption of agroforestry. This Request for Proposals supports the efforts of the National Agroforestry Center (NAC) as identified in Section 8502 of the 2018 Farm Bill.DatesThe application deadline is May 28, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. eastern daylight time (see Section III, Part C).Please note that there will be no extensions, even if the government is closed.For More InformationPlease direct all questions regarding this announcement to: Richard Straight(richard.straight@usda.gov); or Kate MacFarland (katherine.macfarland@usda.gov)GoalsThe Forest Service seeks proposals to create regionally-applicable and practice-specific agroforestry educational materials. These materials will support natural resource professionals in assisting landowners and producers with different levels of interest and commitment in implementing an agroforestry practice. This year’s funding opportunity focuses on practices and regions where NAC would like to increase available information. Applicants are required to select at least one of the following options:A. Incorporating trees, shrubs, and other plants in windbreaks that provide anadditional source of income in any region.B. Incorporating trees, shrubs, and other plants in riparian forest buffers that providean additional source of income in any region.C. Alley cropping outside of the midwest.D. Silvopasture operations in any region that use livestock other than cattle.E. Silvopasture operations with any type of livestock in the southwest.F. Forest farming (multi-story cropping) in the Caribbean and Pacific Islands, uppermidwest, or west.This Request for Proposals focuses on the USDA National Agroforestry Center goals:1. Increase the understanding and adoption of agroforestry2. Provide educational materials and training on agroforestry3. Develop technologies and tools in support of agroforestryIntent and ExamplesThese resources should be new materials developed for this project that fill gaps where regionally-specific information about this practice does not yet exist or is not publicly accessible. As required by law, all materials created through this agreement should be in compliance with Section 508 accessibility standards.Proposals should clearly identify project deliverables.Examples of project deliverables include:• Five to seven producer case studies that focus on the agroforestry practice andThis Request for Proposals focuses on the USDA National Agroforestry Center goals:1. Increase the understanding and adoption of agroforestry2. Provide educational materials and training on agroforestry3. Develop technologies and tools in support of agroforestryIntent and ExamplesThese new resources are to be regionally-specific and relevant to one of the following practices: windbreaks, riparian buffers, alley cropping,forest farming (multi-story cropping), or silvopasture as described in section E. Goals. The expectation is an assembly of publications, videos, andeconomic information based on landowner/producer experience and operations.Examples of landowners and producers practicing agroforestry can be a helpful motivator for others.Materials developed for this project will be distributed in a digital format on the NAC website, though not exclusively, and will include NAC’s name and website, the USDA logo, and other information to help connect users of these resources to NAC.These resources should be new materials developed for this project that fill gaps where regionally-specific information about this practice does not yet exist or is not publicly accessible. As required by law, all materials created through this agreement should be in compliance with Section 508 accessibility standards.Proposals should clearly identify project deliverables.Examples of project deliverables include:• Five to seven producer case studies that focus on the agroforestry practice and region specified in the proposal. These will include basic informationabout the operation (farm and producer name, location, years in operation, farm size, details about the agroforestry practice (size, species, etc.), USDA or other technical or financial assistance received, market outlets, future plans), as well as photos.The 1-2 page case studies should be designed in an attractive PDF format that can be shared for educational uses. High quality photo files will also be supplied to NAC; photos provided will have signed USDA photo release forms from the photographer, producer and/or people pictured in the photos. Proposals may, but do not need to identify specific producers by name, but if the proposal does not include this information, the proposal should indicate how the applicant plans to address this.• Producer testimonial videos. Four to six short videos (approximately 3-5 minutes each) that feature producers from the region specified in the proposal explaining how and why they use the specified agroforestry practice. The final product should be in a format that is usable across various mediums and platforms. It should conform to industry standards and best practices. Videos will have signed USDA release forms from the videographer, producer and/or people pictured in the videos.• Agroforestry scenarios. Two to four very specific agroforestry scenarios for the selected practice that are known to be economically and agronomically viable in the region. The intent of these scenarios is not to describe a case study of a particular operation, but instead to provide potential producers with a detaileddescription of a sample production system. A scenario should recommend a specific combination of trees, crops, and/or forage and livestock. A scenario should also include site conditions; spacing, management activities, yields, markets, price information, seasonal workflow, and/or value-added opportunities. Because agroforestry practices change over time from establishment to a mature enterprise, description of what a producer can expect over time should be included. This information should be drawn from project team’s experience and existing on-farm operations, not research sites. These descriptions must be presented in a format that is easily accessible by natural resource professionals and include educational materials that can be provided to landowners. This format should be described in detail in the proposal (media, length, etc.).• Enterprise budgets for identified agroforestry scenarios. If detailed cost and yield information is available for the chosen agroforestry scenarios, the project could create one or more enterprise budgets that provide this information in an easy to use format. This format (excel, webform, other) should be described in the proposal.• Educational videos. Building on the success of previous videos published through the eXtension Forest Farming Community of Practice, the project could produce short videos (approximately 3-5 minutes each) that feature “how to” information about chosen agroforestry practice in the specific region. The final product should be in a format that is usable across various mediums and platforms. It should conform to industry standards and best practices. Videos will have signed USDA release forms from the videographer, producer, and/or people pictured in the videos.• Other creative ideas for meeting project goals. These other approaches and how they meet project goals should be described in detail in the proposal.PreferencesPreference will be given to proposals that:• Include a range of farm sizes• Include agroforestry examples from multiple states in the same geographic region in the project deliverables• Include participation by Socially Disadvantaged Farmers or Ranchers and/or materials are targeted for use by Socially Disadvantaged Farmers or Ranchers.Note:1. Basic research, equipment purchases, and construction will NOT be considered.2. Expenses for self-marketing and self-promotion are not an eligible expense(company brochures, company business cards, company display materials, etc.).

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