Request for Applications for Specialty Crop Multi-State Program 2023 – California

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting proposals for the 2023 Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP).

Donor Name: California Department of Food and Agriculture

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 12/22/2023

State: California

County: All Counties

Details:

The SCMP supports collaborative multi-state partnerships to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through competitively funded projects. A multi-state partnership is a project that implements activities with measurable outcomes that benefit specialty crops growers from two or more U.S. States and/or Territories. The focus is to address regional or national level specialty crop issues, including, but not limited to, food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion. Projects must enhance the competitiveness of U.S. or U.S. territory-grown specialty crops in either domestic or foreign markets.

Project Area Types

• Food Safety
  • Projects that address the handling, preparation, and storage of specialty crops in ways that reduce foodborne threats may include, but are not limited to:
    • Improving detection, monitoring, control, and response to potential food safety hazards in the production, processing, and handling of specialty crops;
    • Conducting research focused on issues related to (1) water quality; or (2) the use of biological soil amendments of animal origin on similar Agro-ecological regions or localities; and/or
    • Strengthening regional and national traceback systems; promoting an outbreak response system that shortens the time between outbreak detection, resolution, and recovery; and improving methods for communicating with consumers about traceback of foodborne illness outbreaks.
• Plant Pests and Disease
  • Projects that address threats from pests and diseases may include, but are not limited to:
    • Developing safe, effective, and economical pest and disease management solutions for growers of specialty crops
    • Developing monitoring systems to enhance capabilities to predict pest and disease incidence, estimate damage, and identify valid action thresholds;
    • Developing treatments for quarantine pests and diseases to maintain or open healthy markets with U.S. trading partners; and/or
    • Developing diagnostic tools, particularly new ones, for plant pests and diseases and for detection of pesticide resistance in pest populations, including weeds.
• Research
  • Research projects are systematic studies directed toward fuller scientific knowledge or understanding of the subject studied. Projects may include, but are not limited to:
    • Conducting research in plant breeding, genetics, and genomics to improve crop characteristics;
    • Improving production, processing, storage, and distribution efficiencies for conventionally or organically grown specialty crops;
    • Reducing environmental impacts; and
    • Improving supply chain logistics.
• Crop-Specific Projects Addressing Common Issues
  • Crop-specific projects involve collaborative efforts to address issues that affect a specific specialty crop. An acceptable project would involve a specific specialty crop that is grown commercially in several distinct and widely dispersed geographic areas or regions of the country. Projects may include, but are not limited to:
    • Conducting research to determine consumer preferences, including studies of agricultural product price decision, value-added, sensory evaluations, focus groups; and
    • Other evaluative research methods that will enhance the impacts of agricultural marketing and promotion efforts.
• Marketing and Promotion
  • Marketing and promotion projects focus on multiple-state efforts to sell, advertise, promote, market, generate publicity, attract new customers, enhance food transportation, and raise customer awareness for specialty crops or a specialty crop venue.

Funding Information

The amount available to fund SCMP awards in 2023 is approximately $10 million.

• All Project Area Types
  • Minimum award: $250,000
  • Maximum award: $1,000,000

Project Period

• Start Date: September 30, 2024
• End Date: September 29, 2027

Eligibility Criteria

All applicants must be domestic entities owned, operated, and located within the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Eligible applicants include:

• Participating States
  • State Departments of Agriculture that elect to submit proposals to AMS on behalf of interested entities as well as oversee the administration of awarded agreements. Note: AMS recognizes that some States may not have the resources for SCMP administration or have additional restrictions or requirements related to project costs, administration, or activities. Participating States may use Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) administrative funds to offset costs related to SCMP pre- and post-award activities.
• Nonparticipating States
  • State Departments of Agriculture that do not elect to submit proposals to AMS on behalf of interested entities and will not oversee the administration of awarded agreements.
• Entities in Nonparticipating States
  • Local governments, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit organizations residing in Nonparticipating States. Entities located in a Nonparticipating State would apply directly to AMS.
• Nonprofit Corporations
  • Any organization or institution, including nonprofits with State or IRS 501 (c) status and accredited institutions of higher education, where no part of the organization or institution’s net earnings of which inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

For more information, visit CDFA.