Request for Applications (RFA): Collaborative Partnerships – Burundi
Strengthening Rural Agriculture Development
Date Issued: April 29, 2008
Closing Date: July 28, 2008
HED anticipates making one (1) award, contingent on the availability of USAID funding, of up to $450,000 for a three-year partnership with the University of Ngozi to strengthen its capacity for teaching, applied research, and agricultural extension.
For clarification or questions regarding this RFA, please contact Josh Henson at (202) 243-7690 or jhenson@hedprogram.org.
Background
Context
Partnership Description
Eligibility
Application Review Guidelines
Application Format, Submission, and Review
Terms of the Solicitation
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Background
Higher Education for Development and U.S. Agency for International Development
Higher Education for Development (HED) mobilizes the expertise and resources of the higher education community to address global development challenges. HED accomplishes this by administering a cooperative agreement (AEG-A-00-05-00007-00) sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Leader with Associate Cooperative Agreement, signed in September 2005, allows HED to manage a competitive awards process to access expertise within the higher education community in coordination with the American Council on Education (ACE), the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Association of American Universities (AAU), the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC).
Funding by USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, Office of Education (EGAT/ED), as well as USAID’s functional and regional Bureaus and worldwide Missions, supports higher education partnerships to advance global development, economic growth, good governance, and healthy societies. These partnerships provide training, applied research, program evaluation, policy analysis, and program implementation, which are critical to promote USAID’s foreign assistance goals. More information on USAID and its role in economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide over the past 40 years is available on our website.
Context
Burundi is a small, rural East African country with approximately 7.1 million people according to 2004 estimates. More than 90 percent of the population is engaged in agriculture. Traditional cash crops include coffee, tea, cotton, palm oil, tobacco, and sugar cane. These crops represented 80 percent of Burundi’s export earnings in 2005 according to a Government of Burundi Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper from Sept. 2006. While agriculture is considered the main contributor to Burundi’s economy, the sector contributed only 34.8 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2005, a decrease from 57.2% in 1996 according to World Bank statistics.
The main reasons for the decline in the productivity of the agriculture sector are a long civil war, high population density, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the emergence of devastating crop diseases. The war heightened challenges faced by Burundian farmers by reducing access to improved agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilizers, and by limiting access to extension services. The war also affected access to credit, markets, market information, and improved technology. A chronic lack of extension and community services and a lack of conservation and transformation technologies also have impaired farmers’ abilities and motivation to increase agricultural production.
Given the predominance of agriculture as a source of rural livelihoods in Burundi, USAID is supporting an agribusiness strategy with the goal to diversify rural economies. (USAID Burundi’s agribusiness programs support select competitive value chains that are projected to yield significant economic results while contributing to: improved natural resources governance, expanded micro-enterprises opportunities for rural farmers, and strengthened local, regional and international markets.) USAID/ Burundi is in the process of establishing a Development Credit Authority loan portfolio guarantee that will enable targeted lending to USAID-assisted agro-enterprises and farmers to allow them to increase production, improve value-added processing, and increase access to markets.
Partnership Description
This higher education partnership will support USAID/Burundi’s strategy by improving teaching, research, and outreach. USAID Burundi has identified a private, rural higher education institution, Ngozi University, as the partner for this collaborative effort as a way to strengthen the capacity of faculty and students to help improve rural livelihoods.
USAID/Burundi encourages U.S. universities with expertise in applied agricultural research, extension, and agribusiness to apply for this partnership award. The University of Ngozi is a private higher education institution accredited by the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research. In less than 10 years, the University has recruited qualified faculty to offer undergraduate degrees in agronomy, medicine, health sciences, law, computer science and technologies.
This partnership will focus on the University’s Agronomy Department and on the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development Research (Centre de Recherche en Agriculture et Dévéloppement Rural, or CERADER), an agricultural research and development center that promotes experimental approaches to improve farm management and crop production. This Center deals most directly with agricultural production as the key economic activity for the rural area surrounding the university. Other departments on campus, however, may also be involved in the partnership to the extent that their participation results in more effective student learning, applied research, and outreach programs that engage students and university programs with the rural communities surrounding the university.
CERADER has received support from USAID for research on land tenure and land conflicts in the Ngozi area. An institutional capacity and needs statement prepared by Ngozi University is available to download.
A key aspect of this partnership will be to strengthen the capacity of Ngozi University to engage more fully with small businesses and other grass roots rural development entities to address persistent rural poverty. A priority will be to improve livelihoods in rural areas through direct engagement of university students and staff in addressing social, economic and physical constraints to increased production, conservation, and marketing of agricultural and non-agricultural products. This engagement requires a focus on enhancing the existing curriculum, as well as supporting applied research, and promoting outreach programs.
Partnership Goal
The goal of the project is to improve the capacity of Ngozi University to contribute to rural development in the region through its Department of Agronomy and the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development Research by enhancing student learning, and increasing the capacity to conduct applied research, engage in community outreach, and provide agricultural extension services to small farmers and their communities.
This partnership will help prepare university students for careers in agribusiness by providing an applied curriculum with multiple experiential internships with entrepreneurs and enterprises active in Burundi’s agricultural sector.
Partnership Objectives
As a result of this partnership with Ngozi University:
- Improved curriculum will better prepare students to address rural development issues through work with NGOs, agribusinesses, and other local, community organizations.
- The revised curriculum will include courses related to entrepreneurial skills.
- Improved teaching methods including short courses, case studies and internship experiences will better prepare the next generation of agro-entrepreneurs with the competencies to diversify Burundian agribusiness and promote sustainable economic growth.
- Improved student experiential learning will result from structured student academic assignments with NGOs, agribusinesses, and grass roots community organizations.
- Ngozi faculty will have the requisite skills and knowledge to teach courses on needs assessments, rural development analyses, and program planning, implementation, delivery, and evaluation based on appropriate social science research and outreach methods.
- The needs of rural communities and small farmers will be identified through applied research studies by students and collaborating faculty partners.
- Ngozi University teaching, research, and extension will develop closer links with Burundian private sector agribusiness enterprises.
- Improved quality of life for rural citizens will result from community-based extension and/or public service projects that establish links between the University and rural communities.
Key Considerations
Applications should demonstrate that partnership personnel from the U.S. institution(s) can operate in French since it is the language of communication, instruction, and discussion at Ngozi University.
Use of USAID funding for infrastructure development is not permitted as part of this project, however, in-kind donations of library materials, computers, software, textbooks, journals, laboratory equipment and other resources from the U.S. partners are encouraged. Applicants are also encouraged to seek support from the private sector and other sources.
The application must describe a monitoring and reporting plan for the partnership, including an initial baseline assessment, that shows how progress towards objectives and outcomes of partnership activities will be measured; and, an end-of-partnership impact assessment plan included.
Contact Information
The following USAID/Burundi staff member may be contacted for further information on this collaborative partnership:
Alice Nibitanga
Tel: 00-257-22-24-36-25
Mobile: 00-257-(0)-77-760-942
E-mail: Nibitangaa@state.gov
Eligibility
HED welcomes applications from the member institutions of ACE, AACC, AASCU, AAU, NAICU, and NASULGC, and from other regionally accredited, degree granting, U.S. higher education institutions. U.S. colleges and universities may apply individually, or in partnership with each other. HED encourages applications from or with the participation of minority-serving institutions.
Application Review Guidelines
Peer reviewers will use the following criteria to evaluate the applications:
I. Partnership Goals and Objectives (20 points)
- Alignment of proposed partnership activities and outcomes with the goal and objectives stated in the RFA.
- Demonstrated understanding of the current status of small farm agriculture and related rural life in Burundi.
II. Partnership Design and Activities (40 points)
- Evidence of collaborative plans to modernize the curriculum to better prepare students to address rural development issues.
- Adequate plan to develop faculty skills and knowledge related to planned curriculum improvements.
- Evidence of plans to improve faculty social science research and applied agriculture research skills.
- Evidence of partnership opportunities that enhance faculty overall pedagogical skills.
- Evidence that the partnership will engage in applied research related to the needs of rural farmers and agrarian communities.
- Feasible plan to identify and implement student experiential learning activities through work with small farmers, NGOs, agribusinesses and grass roots community organizations.
- Demonstrated plans for community-based extension and/or public service projects related to the objectives of this RFA.
- Evidence that the partnership will enhance the links between Ngozi University and rural farmers and Burundian private sector agribusiness enterprises.
III. Key Personnel, Institutional Commitment, and Collaboration (20 points)
- Professional credentials and expertise of the U.S. partner in applied agricultural research and rural development relevant to Burundi and /or other African countries with a similar context.
- Experience of the U.S. partner with the development and management of extension services in the higher education context.
- Evidence of institutional commitment (engagement of faculty, students and administrators) among all partners in the United States and Burundi.
- Demonstrated experience of partners to engage university expertise in poverty alleviation programs involving small farmers, poor rural communities, financial institutions and agribusinesses.
IV. Cost Sharing and Cost Effectiveness of Overall Budget (10 points)
- Quality and degree of cost sharing (recommended at 25% of the award amount), including expected cash or in-kind contribution from all the partners.
- Demonstrated cost-effectiveness in program design; and equitable distribution of funds between the U.S. university and Ngozi University partners.
V. Monitoring and Reporting Plan (10 points)
- Evidence of valid and reliable methodology to collect baseline data, monitor partnership activities and progress, and report outcomes.
- Clearly articulated plan for an external evaluation to assess the partnership’s impact.
Total Points: 100 points
Application Format, Submission and Review
Application Format
How to Submit an Application
Peer Review
Application Format
Please provide the contents of the application in the following order:
1. Title Page (Please complete HED form in full and obtain signatures of authorized officials.)
2. Table of Contents
3. Abstract (not to exceed 3 typed, double-spaced pages, 12-point font, 1-inch margins). The abstract should contain a summary of the narrative, workplan and budget.
4. Narrative (not to exceed 20 typed, double-spaced pages, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) Address the criteria listed in Application Review Guidelines I-V (see above).
5. The 20-page application must describe a monitoring and reporting plan for the partnership, including an initial baseline assessment, that shows how progress and results will be communicated and reported to USAID through HED.
6. Appendices (Attachments beyond the stated appendices will not be read nor taken into consideration):
* Annual workplan for the funding period (Use HED form).
* Budget forms (Use HED form. Complete all SEVEN tabs).
* Résumés of the proposed U.S. institution director(s) and host institution personnel, not to exceed 2 one-sided pages per person.
* Signed letters of support from the presidents, chancellors, or other chief executive officers of the cooperating institution in the United States.
* Signed letters of support from appropriate university leaders of the overseas partner institution as well as partnership directors. University leaders from the overseas partner may include deans, rectors, or university presidents.
* Signed letter from appropriate official at applicant institution verifying that all costs cited conform to established institutional policies and practices.
How to Submit an Application
Applications must be received at HED by 5:00PM, Eastern Time (ET), July 28, 2008. Faxed or electronically transmitted applications will not be accepted. All elements of the application must be received by the deadline. HED recognizes that original, signed cover letters and letters of support from overseas partners may be subject to delays due to factors beyond the applicant’s control. Only in these exceptional cases, faxed or scanned copies of the application title page and letters that include all necessary signatures may be submitted in the application, provided signed originals are received at HED within seven (7) calendar days of the deadline.
Applicants should submit the original application plus seven (7) hard copies of the complete application package containing title page, table of contents, abstract, narrative, and appendices (all on loose-leaf paper, clipped together — no three-ring binders, staples, or plastic bindings), and a diskette or CD (with files saved as Microsoft Word/Excel for PC) containing the entire application, including all budget forms, budget narrative, and other appendices.
Applications should be sent to: (*NOTE: This is a NEW address)
Collaborative Partnership: Burundi
Higher Education for Development
1 Dupont Circle NW, Suite 420
Washington, D.C. 20036-1193
Once an application has been received, there is to be no contact with the HED program office until the completion of the peer review process in order to ensure fairness to all parties concerned.
Peer Review
Applications will be reviewed by expert panelists, which include representatives from higher education, international development, and USAID. Awards will be made on the basis of reviewers’ recommendations of merit, and USAID. Peer review of applications is slated for early August.
Letters of communication from members of the U.S. Congress in support of an application are discouraged as these may be thought to prejudice the peer-review process. Such letters will not be forwarded to peer reviewers.
Notification about awards is expected following the completion of peer review. Upon final announcement of awards, the person named in the application as partnership director may submit a written request for copies of the peer reviewers’ scores for the application. No personal reviews will be granted, and no comparative score tabulations will be shared.
Terms of the Solicitation
Cost Share
Execution of Awards
Post Award Briefings
TraiNet Requirements
Health and Accident Insurance
Reporting
Cost Share
The minimum suggested total cost share from all U.S. partners is 25 percent of the award amount. Reported cost share must be auditable. Non-auditable contributions may not be used to meet the minimum, but can be indicated separately and attached to the budget detail form.
Higher education institutions are encouraged to leverage support from the private sector in addition to the cost sharing provided by their institutions. Applicants should itemize all cost sharing and in-kind contributions.
Cash and in-kind contributions will be accepted as part of the applicant’s cost sharing when such contributions are: (a) verifiable from the applicant’s records; (b) not included as contributions for any other federally-assisted program; (c) reasonable for the accomplishment of partnership objectives; and (d) not paid by the federal government under another grant.
In-kind contributions may include, but are not limited to: waivers of tuition and fees for students participating in academic exchanges; donation of library and classroom materials to the partner; ICT infrastructure and Internet Service Provider subscription subsidy for the partner and exchange students; faculty salaries; travel and/or per diem for faculty and administrators to participate in professional exchange and development programs; and indirect costs.
Execution of Awards
Awards will be executed as sub-agreements between the designated U.S. university, college, community college, or consortium, and the American Council on Education (ACE), through the Higher Education for Development (HED) office, under USAID Cooperative Agreement AEG-A-00-05-00007-00. The institution recommended for award will receive a draft version of the sub-agreements to review. The award recipient will be expected to submit a marking plan related to USAID branding as part of the sub-agreement that clearly indicates the support provided by USAID for activities conducted under the award.
Please note that no award nor cost share funds may be expended prior to a fully executed (i.e., signed by both parties) sub-agreement between ACE and the designated U.S. institution unless pre-award expenses have been approved as a part of the negotiation of the sub-award. Activities are expected to commence immediately after the sub-agreement is executed.
Award funds will be disbursed to the designated U.S. university, college, community college, or consortium, based on the applicant’s implementation of the work plan, stated budget, and submission to HED of financial, tax, and narrative progress reports. It is the designated U.S. institution’s responsibility to provide disbursements (reimbursements) for its collaborating partner(s) in accordance with the agreed-upon activity schedule and budget.
Post Award Briefings
Partnership directors, and/or their designees, are required to participate in two post-award briefings. The first briefing, conducted in a virtual format, will review reporting, monitoring and evaluation requirements. The second briefing via a conference call will address general requirements of the award.
TraiNet Requirements
To comply with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of State, and USAID regulations regarding tracking and monitoring of Exchange Visitors, foreign nationals whose costs are paid, fully or partially, directly or indirectly using USAID program funds for training, non-training, and invitational travel, must enter the U.S. on a J-1 visa (non-immigrant Exchange Visitor visa) processed under one of USAID’s two program numbers, unless otherwise waived according to the procedure in ADS 252.3. J-2 visa applications for family members are not supported per USAID policy.
USAID expects that all DS-2019 documents (paperwork needed for J visas) and in-country or third country training be processed through the USAID Training, Results and Information Network (TraiNet) system. Institutions may not directly access the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to issue DS-2019 documents internally. Information regarding USAID’s J-1 visa requirements may be found online at the Participant Training website. Administrators must adhere to the regulations detailed under TraiNet, Visa Compliance System (VCS), the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), and USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS) 252-Visa Compliance for Exchange Visitors, and 253-Training for Development. U.S. institutions should allow up to 12 weeks for the processing of visas when planning activities in the United States.
TraiNet management requires a significant commitment of staff time and applicants are encouraged to take this into consideration when developing the program budget.
USAID Health and Accident Coverage (HAC) Insurance Program
The U.S. institution is responsible for enrolling each participant traveling to the United States or a third country in the official USAID Health and Accident Coverage (HAC) insurance program. Participants entering the United States on J-1 visas are required to obtain HAC from the official USAID vendor. Institutions may not use award funds to cover their own institutional HAC insurance. More information on the USAID HAC insurance program is available online. The cost of HAC for participants must be included in the budget.
Reporting
Awardees will be required to submit to HED:
• Financial reports are due quarterly to record expenditures for the following periods: Jan. 1-March 31, April 1-June 30, July 1-Sept. 30, and Oct. 1-Dec. 31;
• Semi-annual narrative progress reports for the following reporting periods may be sent via e-mail: April 1-September 30 and Oct. 1-March 30;
• Both financial reports and semi-annual progress reports are due within one-month after the corresponding reporting period closes: Jan. 31, April 30, July 31, and Oct. 31;
• A final narrative report (due 30 days after the conclusion of program activities); and,
• Final financial reports (due no later than 90 days after the sub-agreement closing date).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Should we contact anyone at Ngozi University?
A: USAID/Burundi will be the primary contact for this RFA. Applicants should contact Alice Nibitanga
(Tel: 00-257-22-24-36-25, E-mail: Nibitangaa@state.gov) first before contacting Dr. Déo-Guide Rurema at Ngozi University (Tel: 00-257-22 30 22 59, E-mail:dguide@hotmail.com).