Draft SOW_Scientific Expertise 12_29_23.pdf

US Department of Agriculture

(USDA)

USDA FS R&D, Caribbean Climate Hub Support

Scientific Expertise To Address Climate Change Impacts On Agricultural Workers.

Statement of Work 29 December 2023

Contents Project General Information

1.0 Scope of Work

2.0 Background

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

4.0 Government Furnished

5.0 Deliverables / Schedule

6.0 Travel

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

8.0 Security Requirements

9.0 Data Rights

10.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards

Project Scientific Expertise To Address Climate Change Impacts On Agricultural Workers

General Information

1.0 Scope of Work

This contract will support the USDA Caribbean Climate Hub mission to develop and deliver science that helps reduce the risk of climate change to tropical agriculture and forestry.

2.0 Background

This project aims to identify the climate change literacy level among clinicians in 8 rural community health centers (CHC), emphasizing climate-related hazards, including occupational risks faced by agricultural workers and farmers; evaluate the adequacy and usefulness of educational resources and tools available for the clinicians to impact at least farmers, farmworkers and farming community members; adapt and create a curriculum for CHC clinicians that includes culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate tools and resources for the farming communities they serve in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Island; evaluate the impact of the program and the use of the tools and resources among clinicians, farmers, and farmworkers; and disseminate results. The program seeks to reach at least 40 clinicians and 1,600 farmers, farmworkers, and farming community members in Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Virgin Islands.

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

The Contractor must have a Ph.D. in a natural science or agriculture field and demonstrated experience with the full research cycle of defining research questions, collecting data, analyzing data, and publishing research in peer-reviewed science journals. The contractor must also have experience in outreach, education, and science delivery in topics related to climate change effects on working lands and rural communities. Knowledge Required by the Position. Professional knowledge on designing and conducting social science research through interviews, focus groups, assessments, and syntheses related to agricultural communities and climate change in the Caribbean. The ability to work in English and Spanish and familiarity with both the agricultural and rural health communities is needed. Demonstrated proficiency in communicating verbally and in writing is imperative. Incumbent must possess a high degree of research expertise on the subject of interest.

Project details. The work will be conducted over a base year and 2 option years.

Tasks will include:

1) Identify the climate change literacy level among at least 40 clinicians in 8 CHCs, emphasizing climate-related hazards, including occupational risks faced by agricultural workers and farmers.

2) Evaluate the adequacy and usefulness of educational resources and tools available for the clinicians to impact at least 400 farmers, farmworkers, and farming community members.

3) Adapt and create a curriculum for CHC clinicians that includes culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate tools and resources for the farming communities they serve in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands.

4) Pilot and validate the adapted/developed tools and resources with 2 CHCs, their staff, and the farming communities they serve.

5) Scale up the program to reach an additional 6 CHCs in order to disseminate and use the adapted tools and resources to reach an additional 1,200 farmers, farmworkers, and farming community members.

6) Evaluate the impact of the program and the use of the tools and resources among clinicians, farmers, and farmworkers.

7) Disseminate project events, resources, and results.

4.0 Government Furnished

Contractor will be supplied with a government laptop computer, and, with appropriate approval and training access to use of a government vehicle with need determined on a case-by-case basis. Contractor will be supplied with printed material developed by the USDA Caribbean Climate Hub for distribution and outreach with need determined on a case-by-case basis.

5.0 Deliverables / Schedule

The Contractor will provide the Contract Official Representative (COR) with written quarterly progress reports, written or oral updates, and written invoices for payment. The work will be done under the supervision of the Hub Director, Dr. William Gould. All information produced will be for the exclusive use of the USDA Forest Service unless and until authorized for other uses. Publications resulting from this work will recognize the contribution of the Forest Service and appropriate Forest Service personnel will be considered for authorship.

Deliverables will be reports on the progress of the project as well as peer-reviewed publications and participation in the development of outreach material, press releases, public communications, reports, or other documentation. All deliverables will be subject to adherence to USDA standards and policies, subject to review and approval by the Institute and any other contributing partners, and made publicly available through the Climate Hub and partner communication venues.

6.0 Travel

The contractor will also be expected to travel within Puerto Rico regularly by car and 1-2 times per year to the US Virgin Islands for purposes of the project and when mutually agreed between the COR and the Contractor following Federal Travel Regulations.

Key personnel car travel within Puerto Rico for stakeholder engagement - regularly.

Key personnel travel to the US Virgin Islands for stakeholder engagement – 1-2 times per year.

Key personnel travel to scientific conferences – once per year.

Item No. Deliverable Objective

Base Year

Quarterly Status Report

Identify the climate change literacy level among clinicians in 2 Community Health Centers, emphasizing climate-related hazards, including occupational risks faced by agricultural workers and farmers. Document and report on methodology and findings of climate literacy levels.

Base Year

Quarterly Status Report

Evaluate the adequacy and usefulness of educational resources and tools available for the clinicians to impact farmers, farmworkers, and farming community members utilizing the two pilot community health centers.

Document and report on methodology and findings of the adequacy and usefulness of educational resources and tools available.

Base Year

Quarterly Status Report

Adapt and create a curriculum for Community Health Center clinicians that includes culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate tools and resources for the farming communities they serve in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands.

Base Year

Quarterly Status Report

Evaluate the impact of the program and the use of the tools and resources among clinicians, farmers, and farmworkers.

5 Base Year Quarterly Status Report

Develop peer-reviewed research based on tasks 1-4.

Base Year

Quarterly Status Report

Disseminate project events, resources, and results.

1 Option Year 1

Quarterly Status Report

Scale up the program to reach an additional 6 CHCs in order to disseminate and use the adapted tools and resources to reach an additional 1,200 farmers, farmworkers, and farming community members.

2 Option Year 1

Quarterly Status Report

Evaluate the impact of the program and the use of the tools and resources among clinicians, farmers, and farmworkers.

3 Option Year 1

Quarterly Status Report

Develop peer-reviewed research based on findings.

4 Option Year 1

Quarterly Status Report

Disseminate project events, resources, and results.

1 Option Year 2

Quarterly Status Report

Publish peer-reviewed research synthesizing all findings on findings.

2 Option Year 2

Quarterly Status Report

Develop and share key lessons learned as outreach material in English and Spanish

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

To include technical expertise to provide deliverables as described. This includes expertise in social science and food systems of the Caribbean.

Key Personnel Minimum Qualifications:

PhD in agricultural/natural sciences Experience (3 years) in conducting peer-reviewed and published science.

Demonstrated ability through funded research projects, collaborations, and published research to review and consult on the soundness and adequacy of experimental design and statistical analyses needed to design studies and publish peer-reviewed research in agriculture and natural resource management.

The person must be able to develop solutions to complex technical issues and problems that impact multiple areas or disciplines. Requires expert knowledge of and ability to apply advanced technical principles, theories, and concepts.

8.0 Security Requirements

Contractor will require minimum security requirements and training as needed to access facilities at the USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, and to access Forest Service computing via password or LincPass.

Training Certifications - The Contractor shall ensure complete the required Federal training issued and provided by the contracting agency. The Contractor must provide proof of completion within 10 business days after assignment by the CO. (Understanding and Interrupting Unconscious Bias, Anti-Harassment Training: Identifying and Preventing Workplace Harassment, Information Security Awareness, USDA Records Management, Section 508).

No employee will be permitted in the building before completing and submitting the required PII sheet and two fingerprint cards issued by the contracting agency. This list of completed forms shall be submitted before the first workday of the contract period, and any changes to the list shall be provided within twenty-four (24) hours of such change. Once contacted by the Forest Service, Personnel Security staff, each contract employee must complete and submit for background checks. Contract employees are to respond to any follow-up requests from Personnel Security staff for missing application data within 2 business days. Failure to comply with these timelines will result in blocked access to the building.

9.0 Data Rights

All information produced will be for the exclusive use of the USDA Forest unless and until authorized for other uses. Publications resulting from this work will recognize the contribution of the Forest Service and appropriate Forest Service personnel will be considered for authorship.

10.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards Contractor will be involved in creating 508 compliant web content, PDF and WORD documents in Spanish and English.