Plan to Grow Project – Request for proposals
Posted: March 28, 2011
Categories: Food in the News
Introduction
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The National Farmers Union (NFU) Local 316 requires a part-time coordinator to carry out one half of a community-based research project called Plan to Grow: Scaling-Up Local Food in Kingston & Countryside, running from May 2nd to November 30th, 2011. This initiative is part of the NFU New Farm Project, a farmer training and support program focused on building farm capacity and farm community. The contract holders will work in conjunction with the Plan to Grow Steering Committee to plan and implement their half of the project. Deadline for proposals is Friday April 15th 2011 at 4pm.
Project Overview
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Plan to Grow: Scaling-Up Local Food in Kingston & Countryside is being initiated by the NFU New Farm Project in order to develop a strategy for future work in two distinct sectors of local food system development: farmer support programs and food community stakeholder engagement. Two separate contracts are being issued – one for the farm support aspect (which has already been arranged) and one for the community engagement aspect (which is currently being sought out in this RFP).
Plan to Grow’s project deliverables will contribute to the following larger outcomes:
- Development of a longer-term strategy to promote & support the viability of local farms and stimulate economic growth in the local food system
- Development of content for future editions of the Local Harvest newspaper as well as for the annual Fall Gathering event of the NFU New Farm Project in late November 2011
- Development of a project vision for a second phase of the NFU New Farm Project (beyond June 2012)
- Fostering co-operative ventures and informal partnerships in the local food system
Mission Statement
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Plan to Grow: Scaling-Up Local Food in Kingston & Countryside aims to engage local farm and food community stakeholders through action research in the sectors of farmer support and food community engagement to support the ongoing development of our sustainable local food system, including the viability of local farms.
Objectives
The two coordinators will work separately (in general) on each respective sector of research in order to achieve the following parallel objectives:
1. Through an environmental scan of best practices in their sector, learn about successful programs that exist in other regions.
2. Identify an inclusive list of sector stakeholders in the Kingston area and engage them in a review of opportunities and challenges (SWOT analysis).
3. Develop recommendations for future development of our food system based on the best practices review and SWOT analysis and share these along with the research findings with the broader farm and food community through a final report and presentation at the Fall Gathering.
Project Coordinators’ Responsibilities
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1. Plan, organize and implement above stated objectives, including:
- Finalize work plan and timeline in collaboration with the Plan to Grow Steering Committee.
- Monthly meetings with the Plan to Grow Steering Committee
2.Perform a review of best practices and/or models of success.
3. Develop a research plan which identifies related “tools†to be used in the community research phase (interviews, questionnaire, survey, focus groups, etc).
4. Use research plan to identify and engage stakeholders in a review of opportunities and challenges and make recommendations for future priorities in programming.
5. Prepare a final report to share research findings and recommendations by October 15, 2011.
6. Participate on Fall Gathering committee of the NFU New Farm Project, and deliver 1 hour of event content that incorporates research findings and recommendations into the late November 2011 event.
7. Track and keep receipts for project expenses, staying within given budget.
8. Deal with all project partners in a courteous, positive and timely manner.
Key Deliverables
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Each project coordinator will deliver:
- Work plan and project timeline (May 10)
- Monthly reports to steering committee
- Review of best practices document (June 30)
- Summary of stakeholder perspectives (Sept 30)
- Final report (Oct 15)
- Participation on Fall Gathering committee, and delivery of 1 hour of content (Nov)
- Receipts and accounting of expenses
Resources and Support Available
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Plan to Grow: Scaling-Up Local Food in Kingston & Countryside has funding in place from the NFU New Farm Project for a maximum budget of $10,000. Each of the research sectors, farmer support programs and community engagement, has a $5000 budget to pay a project coordinator’s fee ($4000) and project expenses ($1000). Both project coordinators will be supported by the Plan to Grow Steering Committee through monthly meetings for advice and organizational support. The Steering Committee will also provide access to the NFU Local 316’s network of contacts and can support the project with the existing infrastructure of the NFU New Farm Project’s website and newsletter for soliciting involvement of farm and food community members.
Ownership of Material
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The data collected and reports prepared shall be sole property of the NFU Local 316.
Proposal Guidelines & Process
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Submissions must not exceed four pages and must include, but are not limited to the following components. Please note that team proposals are welcomed (with a project lead specified and accountable for deliverables) – separate resumés and references will be accepted for co-applicants (please prepare other pages jointly).
- Summary of your interest in and approach toward the position (up to one page)
- Develop a draft work plan – with elaborated timeline and task notes (one page)
- Resume, highlighting relevant skills and experiences (one page)
- Three references with contact information and a description of your connection to each
Deadline for proposals is Friday April 15, 2011. Proposals sent electronically are preferred (Microsoft Word “.doc†or Adobe Portable document Format). Hard copies via mail or fax will be accepted (see contact info below). Late proposals will not be considered.
Please send proposals to:
Miguel Hahn
NFU New Farm Project Co-coordinator
9874 Canoe Lake Road
RR#2 Godrey, ON, K0H 1T0
Ph: 613-273-6280
Fax: 613-273-6290
miguelhahn.nfp@gmail.com
Coordinators will be chosen shortly after applications are received and reviewed. If interviews are required they will be conducted (in person or via phone) in the week of April 18th, 2011. All applicants will be informed as to whether or not they have been selected. The project coordinator will be expected to begin work on May 2, 2011.
Criteria to Be Used in Assessing Applicants
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The hiring committee will apply several factors to its assessment of the submitted proposals. In brief these factors include:
- Thorough understanding of sustainable local farm and food system development, Food Down the Road and/or similar projects;
- A stated vision of how project will unfold;
- Ability to write reports;
- Ability to work independently and take initiative to communicate with various agencies to acquire information and strengthen partnerships;
- Experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) and use of email communication;
- Strong networking abilities;
- Ability to look “outside the box†to find solutions to help new farmers and their communities thrive in light of their identified challenges;
- Ability to work in collaboration with volunteer team members;
- Demonstrated ability, capacity and commitment to accomplish tasks within timelines and budget;
- Knowledge and experience in facilitation, event organizing and community building;
- Flexibility to work some weekends; and
- Work plan addresses outcomes and has clear description of deliverables with timeline.
- In general, proposal is complete and gives a positive overall impression
On behalf of the NFU, thank you for considering this request for proposals.