Special Edition SCOAR Bulletin |
July 14, 2008 |
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SCOAR is a collaboration of producers and scientists whose mission is to plan and promote research and information exchange for understanding and improving organic agricultural systems. |
Specialty Crop Proposals Due One Month from Today
The 2008 Farm Bill establishes a Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) with $215 million in mandatory funding over five years. For fiscal year 2008, $28.4 million is available. Today the Request for Applications (RFA) was released. The deadline for proposals is Aug. 14. Please note that all proposals must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov.
Specialty crops are defined in law as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and nursery crops including floriculture. The SCRI seeks to fund systems-based, trans-disciplinary approaches integrating both research and extension activities to solving specialty crop production problems.
100 percent non-federal matching funds are legislatively required for this funding opportunity. There is no provision for waivers.
According to the RFA, “The intent of the SCRI is to promote collaboration, open communication, the exchange of information and the development of resources that accelerate application of scientific discovery and technology to solving needs of the various specialty crop industries. SCRI will give priority to projects that are multistate, multi-institutional, or trans-disciplinary and include explicit mechanisms to communicate results to producers and the public.”
Six distinct project types will be funded, including eXtension projects, Research and Extension Planning Projects, and Regional Partnerships. The range of project types is unique to this program. We urge potential applicants to carefully review the part of the RFA that describes them in detail.
The SCRI has five legislatively mandated focus areas, each of which will receive at least 10 percent of the available funds. These focus areas are:
- Research in plant breeding, genetics, and genomics to improve crop characteristics;
- Efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases, including threats to specialty crop pollinators;
- Efforts to improve production efficiency, productivity, and profitability over the long term (including specialty crop policy and marketing);
- New innovations and technology, including improved mechanization and technologies that delay or inhibit ripening
- Methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential food safety hazards in the production and processing of specialty crops, including fresh produce.
Prospective applicants are requested to email a Notice of Intent to Submit an Application by Friday, July 18, 2008, if possible, to help program staff with their planning.
While organic systems are not explicitly mentioned in the RFA, they are clearly eligible for inclusion in this program. OFRF expects that at least some reviewers experienced in organic agriculture will be on the review panel. Projects grounded in organic specialty crop systems whose objectives relate to the five focus areas listed above are strongly encouraged to submit to this new program!
For more application details, refer to the full Request for Applications at
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/specialty_crop.html
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