FY2024 FFPr Public Meeting Presentation.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture

Foreign Agricultural Service

Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

USDA FY2024

Notice of Funding

Opportunity for Food for Progress

Public Townhall Meeting Tuesday, May 21, 2024 | 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.

Eastern Time

International Food Assistance Division Global Programs

Foreign Agricultural Service

Agriculture

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Thank you for tuning in!

Please note that your microphones are muted. This meeting will be recorded. If you have questions, please type them into the chat box. We will address as many of them as possible following the conclusion of the presentation, and ALL questions will also be answered in the weekly questions and answers document that is posted to Grants.gov.

Question on the FY24 Notice for the Food for Progress program can also be submitted to ppded@usda.gov through June 26, 2024. Answers will be posted weekly on Grants.gov.

Closed captioning is also available for this meeting by utilizing the “show captions" feature on your menu at the bottom of the screen.

mailto:ppded@usda.gov

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Agenda

• Opening Remarks

• Food for Progress

• Operations

• Monitoring & Evaluation

• Grants Management

• Questions & Answers

Livestock and aquaculture feed in Cambodia

Agriculture

Foreign Agricultural Service

Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Ingrid Ardjosoediro Food for Progress

Food for Progress

Women Vanilla Farmers in Uganda

Agriculture

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

For FY2024 $220 million in CCC funding (administration, transportation, and commodities)

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

FY 2024 Technical Focus Areas:.

• Food Security

• Trade Enabling Environment

• Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA)

Budget: A detailed budget is required. An excel format template is provided in the Related Documents section of the Grants.gov announcement.

Strategic Analysis section: An Applicant must include an introduction in the Cover Sheet.

The former Introduction and Strategic Analysis section has been replaced by the Strategic Analysis section.

Strengthening the Cashew Sector in Benin

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Country Project Focus*

Benin Improve agricultural trade enabling environment making Benin’s trade policy more transparent, science-based, data driven, and efficient.

Cambodia Strengthen and improve Cambodia’s Food Safety Systems to meet international standards and increase horticultural productivity. Key institutional support includes technical and lab capacity and market linkages that promote sustainable agricultural practices and adoption of standards.

Madagascar Address food security through a food systems approach, strengthen market opportunities of staple, nutritious and commodity crops, and promote climate smart agriculture.

Rwanda Improve the trade enabling environment by developing and harmonizing food safety regulations, enhancing food security, and increasing adoption of climate smart technologies.

Sri Lanka Improve food security and climate resilience by using climate smart techniques and enhancing market linkages in the Dairy and Coconut Sector. Preference will be given to proposals that include wholistic approaches in both sectors.

Tanzania Address and strengthen food security while assisting in the transformation of the poultry sector with a focus on women owned small and medium enterprises

Tunisia Improve production and increase the adoption of CSA practices, especially in water management, for the dates sector and the oasis agricultural system as a whole .

Priority Countries

*Refer to the FY24 NOFO and respective country guidance for additional information

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• Build strong partnerships, alliances, and leverage investments.

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues and country context.

• Include evidence-based and context appropriate solutions for lasting impact.

• Create a plan for sustainable results and local ownership for long-term success.

• Demonstrate sound market analysis for commodity monetization.

How to Submit a Strong Application

Food Safety in the Dominican Republic

Agriculture

Foreign Agricultural Service

Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Nick Kharabadze Operations Branch

Commodity Management

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Additional Resources

Food for Progress

• FFPr Monetization Handbook, March 2023

• WTO | Nairobi Package, December 2015

• Cargo Preference Act of 1952

• The “Bellmon Amendment” - Section 403(a) of PL 480 https://apps.fas.usda.gov/fais/webapp/files/USDA%20Monetization%20Handbook%202023.pdf https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wto.org%2Fenglish%2Fthewto_e%2Fminist_e%2Fmc10_e%2Fl980_e.htm&data=05%7C02%7Cnicholas.kharabadze%40usda.gov%7C991912cc42cd40ddf2df08dc75dfb1ac%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C1%7C0%7C638514850815303280%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2FgUQ59bHxCufpbAK1Aie0wd28XUIPfQnXvgfzNcHIEM%3D&reserved=0 https://www.maritime.dot.gov/cargo-preference/military-cargoes/cargo-preference-laws-and-regulations

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Operations

Food for Progress Commodity Utilization 2013 – 2023

*Includes 253,000 MT in FY 2022 for Sudan

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Do!

Include a strong impact analysis of proposed monetization tonnage on commercial markets, trading partners, local production, and on other similar commodities

A demonstratable need on the ground, how proposed tonnage will not cause a substantial disincentive to a country's domestic production and trade.

Identify key factors impacting price, market structure, seasonality, and competitors.

Address how unexpected increases or decreases in sale proceeds will be distributed across program activities. Be mindful of market volatility and availability for your chosen commodity.

Establish a realistic Rate of Return and be mindful of the factors that influence it.

Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (70% Cost Recovery)

Include alternatives where 70% is a challenge

If 70% cannot possibly be achieved, provide alternative solutions

Prioritize monetization activity in priority country, justify the need to expand monetization activity outside of priority country.

A market may be too small for the projected size of a monetization sale and thus, a regional approach or a third-country option may be proposed to conduct a successful monetization.

Monetization - Dos and Don’ts

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Don’t!

Don’t make market assumptions without providing evidence of support

Data to include but not limited to - production/consumption/imports/export trends

Don’t gloss over specific country concerns

Including import barriers, tariffs, biotech regulations, sales and payment terms, etc.

Don’t assume monetization will be exempt from Customs, Duties, and Taxes

Don’t forget to budget accordingly

Don’t forget to budget for Post Monetization Assessment Studies

Don't forget to budget for all shipping related expenses (Bagging, stacking, etc.)

Don’t forget to build freight budget utilizing US Flag Vessel rates

Monetization - Dos and Don’ts (cont.)

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Ellie Morefield, Team Lead Monitoring, Evaluation & Strategic Planning Division

Date pitting center established in Pakistan. Female workers safely working under comfortable and hygienic work environment

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Monitoring & Evaluation

Three M&E Components of Application:

1) Results Framework (graphic & narrative)

2) Performance Indicator Table

3) Evaluation Plan

Increased Pineapple Production in Benin

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Strong M&E Proposals

A strong Results Framework:

• (In the graphic): Clearly reflects the results the proposed project will contribute to, and meaningfully links activities to results

• (In the narrative): Cites evidence to support the theory of change, including critical assumptions, and if applicable, explains why the proposed project will not contribute to some results

Monitoring & Evaluation

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Strong M&E Proposals

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC.

A strong Performance Indicator Table:

• Includes all relevant standard indicators

• Includes a limited number of well-constructed custom indicators

• Includes all estimated baseline values

• Accurately links annual and life-of-project targets

Monitoring & Evaluation http://pngimg.com/download/27452 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

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Strong M&E Proposals

A strong Evaluation Plan:

• Proposes a specific evaluation design o If not an impact evaluation, explains why

• Aligns meaningfully with the Learning Agenda

• Describes the project population and proposes a sampling methodology

• Addresses learning in the “Learning” section

Monitoring & Evaluation

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Alexandra Raver Director, Grants Branch

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Grants Branch What do We Do?

What We Do?

• Notice of Funding

Opportunities (NOFO)

• Agreements

• Amendments

• Closeouts

Business Operations/ Financial Services

Farmers receiving technical assistance in Laos

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System for Award Management, SAM.gov Active Registration Required

• Section D, Application and Submission Information, of the NOFO highlights SAM.gov regulatory requirements and key information for applicants

• All applicants must have an active SAM.gov registration before the application submission deadline date o Food For Progress application submission deadline date July 1, 2024

FAS Funding Opportunities Applicant Information

Business Operations/ Financial Services https://sam.gov/SAM/

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• System for Award Management, SAM.gov Active Registration Required o SAM.gov registration vs. obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier o An entity registration allows your organization the opportunity to receive assistance (aka grants) or contract directly from the federal government o Want to apply? You need to register your entity in SAM.gov when you want to seek federal assistance as a prime awardee Seeking federal assistance? Complete Financial Assistance

General Certifications and Representation Report o SAM.gov entity registration includes getting the Unique Entity

ID (UEI) and requires assertions, representations and certifications, and other information about your business.

FAS Funding Opportunities Applicant Information

Business Operations/

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UEI:

Business Operations/

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

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Grants.gov

• All Federal Awarding Agencies are required to post funding opportunities on Grants.gov (2 CFR 200.204(a))

FAS Funding Opportunities Applicant Information

Business Operations/ https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-C#p-200.204(a)

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Grants.gov

FAS Funding Opportunities Applicant Information

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

FAS Funding Opportunities Applicant Information

Grants.gov

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

FAS Funding Opportunities Applicant Information Grants.gov Subscriptions

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Grants.gov Subscriptions – Get updates on Specific Opportunities

FAS Funding Opportunities Applicant Information

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Foreign Agricultural Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

• Section D, Application and Submission Information provides the application requirements which includes:

o SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance

• The SF 424 is available on Grants.gov at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html

• Section D.5, Content Guidance describes the required application information and how they must be uploaded to FAIS.

• Appendix A, Application Content Checklist, provides a useful checklist of the required application elements

• Appendix C, Budget Summary Template

Food For Progress Application Requirements

Business Operations/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html

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• Section B, Federal Award Information of the NOFO highlights cost sharing or matching

• Cost share is:

o Not Required o Encouraged to maximize program impacts and engender in-country sustainability Voluntary Committed cost sharing (2 CFR 200.1)

• Cost share must be accounted for on the SF 424 and required budget documents (7 CFR 1499(b)(4)(i))

• Section E.2 of the NOFO highlights how FAS will evaluate voluntary committed cost share o Additional points in Budget content area o Cost share should be equivalent to one percent or more of the total operating budget (cash portion). FAS will evaluate cost share in terms of both dollar value and reasonableness (ability to implement).

Cost Share in Food For Progress Applications

Business Operations/ Financial Services https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-A#p-200.1(Voluntary%20committed%20cost%20sharing) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/subchapter-C/part-1499#p-1499.4(b)(4)

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Cost Share is not:

o To be used to reach the three percent minimum monitoring and evaluation budget o Unrecovered indirect costs by the Applicant

During negotiations, FAS will ensure that any allowable cost share proposed by the approved Applicant is retained and included in the agreement (Section F.1)

Cost Share in Food For Progress Applications

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• Section G, Awarding Agency Contact Information, includes key contact information should you have questions about either NOFO

• Submit questions to ppded@usda.gov o Please specify the opportunity in the subject line of the email o FY24 Food for Progress NOFO

• Food For Progress Question Submission Deadline: June 26, 2024

• Food For Progress Application Submission Deadline: July 1, 2024

• FAS posts answers to written questions regarding the NOFO to

Grants.gov weekly.

o Included in the Related Documents tab of the Grants.gov Grant

Opportunity

NOFO Questions?

Business Operations/ mailto:ppded@usda.gov

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• FFPr application deadline: July 1, 2024 5:00 p.m. ET.

• Questions deadline: June 26, 2024.

• Microphones are muted. Please type your questions in zoom’s chat.

• If we are not able to respond to your question today, we will post answers weekly in Grants.gov

• Contact information:

E-mail: ppded@usda.gov

• Grants.gov: Food for Progress 10.606

• FAIS: https://www.fas.usda.gov/food-aid-information-system

Submission Deadlines for Food for Progress

Questions & Answers

Freshwater Aquaculture in Bangladesh

Improved Storage and Access to Finance in Malawi mailto:ppded@usda.gov https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/353809 https://www.fas.usda.gov/food-aid-information-system https://www.fas.usda.gov/food-aid-information-system