Supporting farmer and rancher adoption of low Emissions, high resilience Beneficial Management Practices through knowledge transfer
INTRODUCTION
Farmers for Climate Solutions
Farmers for Climate Solutions (FCS) is a national farmer and rancher led coalition that advances pragmatic policy and program solutions to support farmers and ranchers in making the transition to low-emissions, high-resilience approaches to agriculture.
FaRM Program
The Farm Resilience Mentorship Program, or FaRM, is a free farmer-to-farmer learning hub offering online resources, workshops, on-farm field days, mentorship, and farmer networks to help scale-up adoption of Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) like Advanced Nitrogen Management, Cover Cropping, and Advanced Grazing Systems. FaRM is delivered in partnership with regional agricultural organizations and Indigenous partners across the country.
This Request for Proposals (RFP) is to engage regional agricultural organizations and Indigenous partners in delivering the FaRM Program from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025.
Background
The FaRM Program is designed to be regionally adaptive in supporting farmers and ranchers in adopting BMPs through education, knowledge sharing, and community building. This includes the FaRM Learning Hub where farmers can take online self-directed courses to build their knowledge on how to adapt BMPs to their farm or ranch. Through partnerships with organizations across the country, FaRM has also supported in-person and virtual events, with farmers and ranchers, agrologists, agronomists, crop advisers and agricultural researchers as knowledge sharers at these events. Regional follow-up support is offered to farmers and ranchers in the form of one-on-one mentorship, clubs, discussion groups and/or other networking opportunities, both in person and virtual.
The FaRM program is in its third year and has already reached 7,000+ producers representing over 5.5 million acres, and we want to grow this momentum. This RFP is to explore how we can continue to build on this success and support even more farmers and ranchers in adopting Beneficial Management Practices specifically around:
Advanced Nitrogen Management
Cover Cropping
Advanced Grazing Systems
We encourage you to be creative in your project proposal for this RFP. Some pathways which you might choose to explore are as follows, but we welcome all innovative ideas that ultimately target farmer and rancher adoption of any of these 3 Beneficial Management Practices:
Hosting on-farm field days, workshops, webinars, etc. that create dialogue to drive adoption of BMPs.
Working with producers to create and implement BMP farm plans.
On-farm trials/regional research.
Dissemination of BMP success stories.
Bolstering the current FaRM Program curriculum with regional and specialized learning modules, factsheets, videos, tutorials, podcasts, and/or other knowledge transfer formats.
Developing a communications strategy focused on how cover crops, advanced nitrogen management, and/or rotational grazing intersect with profitability, soil health, and resiliency.
FCS is working to reduce emissions and increase resilience by scaling up the adoption of Beneficial Management Practices across Canada. We are looking for partners with the ability to bring more farmers and ranchers into the fold in adopting BMPs for the long term. Your RFP should show us how you will achieve this, both in terms of proposed programming, and your proven ability to influence and/or support farmers and ranchers.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Canadian organization/Canadian citizen or permanent resident currently operating and residing in Canada and able to enter into a legally binding agreement.
Be a legal entity with a known and recognized presence in agriculture program delivery (eg. not-for-profit or for-profit organization interested in supporting farmers and ranchers, crown corporation, University/College, Indigenous groups, agricultural industry association, producer group, non-governmental organizations, or governing body).
Have an annual business income of at least $50,000.
Have a proven track record of forming meaningful connections with farmers and ranchers.
FUNDING AMOUNT
Up to $75,000 per proposal.
Smaller projects are also encouraged.
Multiple proposals will be considered if different project partners and/or regions are involved.
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINES
Program objectives
The FaRM Program offers free learning opportunities and resources to support the adoption of these three key low emission, high resilience practices.
Advanced Nitrogen Management
Cover Cropping
Advanced Grazing Systems
Your proposal may include 1 to 3 of these BMPs.
Knowledge transfer events need to include significant BMP content (expert speaker(s), field walks to see BMPs in action, strip trials with an agronomist, etc.)
Applications that incorporate regional mentors in their programming will be weighted favourably.
KEY DELIVERABLES
Deliver training events
Run online and/or in-person knowledge transfer activities.
Provide follow-up support and facilitate peer-to-peer learning
Offer follow-up support to farmers and ranchers. Examples of follow-up support could be: one-on-one mentorship, Farmer Clubs/networking series, email blast with BMP content (including other BMP knowledge transfer events, newsletters, podcasts, other resources, slides, etc.), drive registration on the FaRM Learning Hub online network and subscriptions to the program newsletter.
Data collection and administration
Collect email addresses from all event participants for follow-up contact.
Administer FCS surveys:
Post-activity survey provided and monitored by FCS; administered by Implementing Partners at or after all FaRM events.
Impact survey provided and monitored by FCS; administered annually in November to all event participants via email.
Log event data into Event Tracking spreadsheet (provided and monitored by FCS) detailing date, event description, number and type of participants after each event.
Include FCS Terms of Use and Privacy Statement in event registration process and at events.
Provide work plan and project budget.
Provide final budget update upon project completion.
Promotional support
Story sharing: Create and share 2-3 farmer/rancher profile stories, in writing or video. (Recruit 2-3 FaRM participants to share their stories via video or in writing and provide to FCS for use in program promotions).
Event images: Share FaRM events videos and/or photos with FCS for promotional purposes (minimum 3 photos per in-person event and/or video footage (edited or unedited) per in-person event).
Acknowledge and promote the FaRM Program and Learning Hub at all FaRM events, and in all FaRM-related communications.
Add FaRM Program logo and Learning Hub link to website.
Relationship building
Attend two FCS-organized meetings per month
group meeting with all other FaRM Implementing Partners,
one-on-one check-in with FaRM Program staff.
EXPENSES
Eligible expenses
Salaries and wages
Speaker fees
Mentor compensation (min. $50/hr)
Event costs (including venue, equipment rentals, supplies and materials, etc.)
Promotional costs
Contracted services (videographer, writer, translator, etc.)
Travel related to knowledge transfer events (mileage, accommodation, train/air fare)
Administration (15% max)
Ineligible expenses
Capital costs (building improvements, office furniture/equipment, farm equipment, computers, projectors, etc.)
Alcohol
Finance charges, loan interest payments, bank fees and charges
EXPECTED TIMELINE FOR SUBMISSION
The deadline for submissions is June 15, 2024.
We will aim to notify you if your proposal has been accepted by July 15, 2024.
Our goal is to have contracts signed by September 1, 2024.
CONTACT
Should you have any questions, please reach out to brenda@farmersforclimatesolutions.ca.