I.
BACKGROUND
The
Regional Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Grants Program supports the continuum
of research and extension needed to increase implementation of IPM methods from
development of individual pest control tactics, to the integration of tactics
into an IPM system to extension education and training.
The program is administered through the Land-Grant University system's
four regions (North Central, Northeastern, Southern, Western) in partnership
with USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES).
The goal of the Regional IPM Grants Program is to provide support for
projects that develop and help users implement IPM systems that:
1) are profitable and environmentally sound over the long-term; 2) reduce
reliance on pesticides; and 3) protect and conserve ecosystem quality and
diversity.
The
Western region is characterized by a diversity of cropping systems in close
proximity to vulnerable ecosystems and natural resources.
Public concerns about water use and quality, worker safety and public
health related to pesticide use provide impetus to develop and implement
regional IPM strategies.
A. Goals
of Western Region IPM Program
The
goals of the Western Region IPM Program include development of long-term
sustainable, profitable, and environmentally sound pest management systems for
agriculture; promotion of reduced risk pest management practices; and protection
and conservation of ecosystem quality and diversity.
B. Availability
of Funding/Eligibility
Funding
is available to research and extension staff at Land-Grant Universities in the
region.
Research
and extension staff from other regions as well as staff from other state and
federal agencies are encouraged to participate as members of the project team,
but cannot serve as project directors. Additional
non-federal funding is strongly encouraged.
Appropriateness of budget is one of the criteria on which evaluations
will be based.
Each
applicant is eligible to submit one proposal as Principal Investigator/Project
Director (PI/PD) and one as Co-PI/Co-PD in the research category (Section III.
A.) and one to either the extension or research-extension categories (Sections
III. B. & C.).
The
Western region will provide funding for three types of IPM projects in fiscal
year (FY) 2000: research,
extension, and research-extension. Applicants
should indicate which type of project is being proposed and submit by the
deadline listed (Section X. 2.).
A. Research
This
funding category develops the research base needed for the construction of
comprehensive pest management systems that have a strong likelihood of
contributing to ongoing IPM implementation efforts. Research
may be proposed to develop individual tactics needed for pest management systems
(e.g., biocontrol, cultural control, host resistance) or to increase the
understanding of how interactions among tactics alter the effectiveness of pest
management systems. The
experimental approach should emphasize field-scale experiments over multiple
seasons and/or locations where appropriate.
Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the tactic or IPM system, once
developed, can be incorporated into an existing production system.
Projects funded through this category may include a variety of topic
areas, including:
Developing an effective tactic for a production management system for a
pest problem that currently limits the production efficiency and is generally
recognized by the user community as a key priority.
Addressing the agro ecosystem extending beyond a single commodity and
addressing multiple cycles of pests over seasons and/or multiple species and
complexes.
Promoting biological diversity in pest management systems and integrating
of multiple pest management tactics.
Identifying linkages with components of existing or emerging pest
management systems.
Demonstrating the economic and environmental benefits of IPM strategies.
Identifying the constraints to greater adoption of IPM strategies and
developing approaches to overcome these constraints.
Promoting cooperative effort across appropriate disciplines, with
linkages between research and extension efforts.
Elucidating the relationship of ecological principals to life systems of
pests and the functioning of the agro ecosystem as a whole.
Integrating plant and animal production in an IPM system.
Proposals
may be submitted for 1-3 years’ duration with a maximum funding level of
$100,000 per year. Continued
funding is subject to availability of funds and demonstration of satisfactory
progress (see Section VI.).
B. Extension
This
funding category enhances outreach efforts that support the wide-scale
implementation of IPM methods and maximize opportunities to build strategic
alliances with industry and user groups to expand their active participation in
increasing the adoption of IPM methods. Projects
may be proposed to develop educational materials and information delivery
systems needed for outreach efforts, conduct field-scale or on‑farm
demonstrations, or deliver IPM education and training.
A
research component is not a required element of extension proposals, but the
research base should be documented. Projects
funded in this category should include one or more of the following:
IPM
training and education to individuals involved with the production, processing,
storage, transporting, and marketing of food and agricultural commodities.
Development of educational materials and information delivery systems
that provide IPM personnel in the public and private sectors with timely,
state-of-the-art information about effective IPM strategies.
Extension
proposals may be submitted for 1-3 years’ duration and a maximum funding level
of $50,000 per year. Continued
funding is subject to availability of funds and demonstration of satisfactory
progress (see Section VII.).
C. Combined
Research-Extension
This
funding category combines research and extension activities as described in A
and B above. Research-extension
projects validate pest management systems, introduce new pest management tactics
into local production systems, and deliver these systems to producers and their
advisors through IPM education and training programs.
The project team should include faculty with appointments in research and
extension.
Research-extension
proposals may be submitted for 1-3 years’ duration and a maximum funding level
of $50,000 per year.
In
FY 2000, CSREES will make available approximately $500,000 to support research
projects, $225,000 to support projects involving a combined effort of research
and extension activities, and $70,000 to support Extension projects in the
Western region. Continued funding
is subject to availability of funds and demonstration of satisfactory progress
(see Section VII.)
The
authority for the research funding is contained in Section 2(c)(1)(B) of the Act
of August 4, 1965, Public Law No. 89-106, as amended (7 U.S.C. 450i (c)(1)(B))
and the authority for the extension funding is contained in Section 3(d) of the
Smith-Lever Act of May 8, 1914, ch. 79, 38 Stat. 373, 7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.
This funding is administered by CSREES, USDA.
NOTE: For combined effort
proposals, separate awards will be executed for Pub. L. 89-106 and Smith-Lever
funds.
V.
SCIENTIFIC PEER REVIEW AND MERIT REVIEW
Subsection
(c)(5) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. § 450i(c)),
as amended by Section 212 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education
Reform Act of 1998, (7 U.S.C. 450i(c)(5)) requires grantees to arrange for
scientific peer review of their proposed research activities and merit review of
their proposed extension and education activities prior to award in accordance
with regulations promulgated by the Secretary prior to the Secretary making a
grant award under this authority. These
regulations were published in the Federal
Register on June 24, 1999, and establish the following requirements:
(a)
Prior to the award of a standard or continuation grant by CSREES, any proposed
project shall have undergone a review arranged by the grantee. For research
projects, such review must be a scientific peer review conducted in accordance
with 7 CFR 3400.21. For education and extension projects, such review
must be a merit review conducted in accordance with 7 CFR 3400.22.
(b)
Review arranged by the grantee must provide for a credible and independent
assessment of the proposed project. A credible review is one that provides an
appraisal of technical quality and relevance sufficient for an organizational
representative to make an informed judgment as to whether the proposal is
appropriate for submission for Federal support. To provide for an independent
review, such review may include USDA employees, but should not be conducted
solely by USDA employees.
(c)
A notice of completion of review shall be conveyed in writing to CSREES as part
of the submitted proposal. In the
case of the Integrated Pest Management Program, applicants may (1) conduct the
review at their institutions, or (2) utilize the regional panel review process. Applicants are not required to submit results of the review
to CSREES; however, proper documentation of the review process and results
should be retained by the applicant. (See
Section VI. Q.)
(d)
Review by the grantee is not automatically required for renewal or supplemental
grants as defined in Sec. 3400.6. A subsequent grant award will require a new
review if, according to CSREES, either the funded project has changed
significantly, other scientific discoveries have affected the project, or the
need for the project has changed. Note that a new review is necessary when
applying for another standard or continuation grant after expiration of the
grant term.
Scientific
peer review is an evaluation of a proposed project for technical quality and
relevance to regional or national goals performed by experts with the scientific
knowledge and technical skills to conduct the proposed research work. Peer
reviewers may be selected from an applicant organization or from outside the
organization, but shall not include principals, collaborators or others involved
in the preparation of the application under review.
Merit
review is an evaluation of a proposed project or elements of a proposed program
whereby the technical quality and relevance to regional or national goals are
assessed. The merit review shall be performed by peers and other individuals
with expertise appropriate to evaluate the proposed project. Merit reviewers may
not include principals, collaborators or others involved in the preparation of
the application under review.