Funding Opportunities for Organic and PGS in 10 Countries
The deadline for submitting project proposals has been extended to 7 June!
Since 2018, IFOAM - Organics International and FAO have partnered through the Mountain Partnership Products Initiative (MPP Initiative) to support producers in differentiating their mountain products and finding appropriate markets, with backstopping, capacity building, and knowledge exchange activities focusing on Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS).
A new funding opportunity titled "Business Incubator and Accelerator (BIA) for Mountains and Islands" will be launched by the end of April in 10 countries: Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Fiji, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Peru, the Philippines, and Uganda.
The BIA will provide a total budget of USD 150,000 for each country participating in the program. The grants awarded will vary between USD 15,000 to USD 50,000 per project, with additional funding being set aside for technical assistance and capacity building.
Priority will be given to business and project proposals that promote organic certified products either through PGS or third-party certification (TPC), or actively encourage the development of PGS schemes to certify farming systems, amongst others.
Watch the webinar presenting the BIA call here!
According to the Mountain Partnership, in order for a project proposal to be eligible for funding, it must meet the following criteria:
- The lead applicant must be either a non-governmental organisation that has existed for at least one year, or a producer-organisation (such as a cooperative, community-based organisation, or association) that has existed for at least one year and has at least five members.
- The lead applicant must be registered in the country where the project is based.
- Only one application may be submitted by the lead applicant.
- The lead and partner applicants must not be bankrupt, liquidated, or under administration by the courts.
- The lead and/or partner applicants must operate in a mountainous area or on an island in one of the following countries: the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Fiji, Kyrgyzstan, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Nepal, Peru, the Philippines, or Uganda.
- The lead applicant must provide all necessary documentation to demonstrate that the above criteria are met.
- The proposed project must include an applicant's matching contribution of at least 50% of the requested grant.
- The lead applicant must provide evidence of their ability to use capital and/or other assets involved in their investment plan (such as agricultural land, building, machinery, labour, skills, etc.).
- The lead applicant must be a member of the Mountain Partnership (MP). If not, they must join before the establishment of the grant agreement.
- The proposed project must target one of the following areas of work: biodiversity, sustainable forest management, climate change mitigation and community-based adaptation, natural resources management, and/or strengthening of local economies.
Prior to submitting their project proposal, it is recommended that applicants thoroughly review the information booklet, which is available in both English and Spanish.
The official webpage will open the call for applications by the end of April, and interested parties are encouraged to stay informed. For any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us at MP-BIA@fao.org or advocacy@ifoam.bio.
Participatory Guarantee Systems - An Alternative and Complementary Tool to Third-Party Certification
