USDA Request for Expressions of Interest

2016 U.S.-China Scientific Cooperation Exchange Program

U.S.-China Scientific Cooperation Exchange Program

FISCAL YEAR 2016 PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES TO CHINA

Application Deadline: February 25, 2016, 11:59 PM EST

Telephone: (202) 720-0858 and (202) 720-9845

Email:

Website: http://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/scientific-cooperation-exchange-program

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA) - 10.614

Table of Contents

Summary of Award Opportunity 3

Section I: Funding Opportunity Description 3

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION 3

B. PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITIES 5

Section II: Award Information 6

Section III: Eligibility Information 7

A. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 7

B. COST SHARING AND MATCHING REQUIREMENTS 7

Section IV: Application and Submission Information 7

A. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE 7

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION 8

C. SUBMISSION DEADLINES AND TIMES 9

Section V: Application Review Information 9

A. REVIEW CRITERIA 10

B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS 10

Section VII: Agency Contact 10

Section VIII: Other Information 10


USDA FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL SERVICE

U.S.-CHINA SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION EXCHANGE PROGRAM

U.S. EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES TO CHINA

Summary of Award Opportunity

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is seeking to identify U.S. organizations interested in traveling to China through the U.S.-China Scientific Cooperation Exchange Program (SCEP). This bilateral exchange program allows research teams to visit the partner country for up to 14 days in order to transfer knowledge and technology in agriculture. Teams may consist of up to six persons, if interpretation services are not required, and five persons, if interpretation services are required. It is recommended that exchange programs occur between April and September 30, 2016. Each exchange program should last 14 days, unless otherwise approved in advance.

This notice identifies the U.S.-China Scientific Cooperation Exchange Program deadline, legislative authority, eligibility and proposal requirements, funding restrictions, cost share requirements, allowable and unallowable costs, reporting requirements, program purpose and priorities, focus areas and recommended topics, application and submission information, application review, selection, and notification process, agency program contact information, and mailing address.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance:

This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under 10.961.

AWARD TYPE:

Non-award

Deadline:

Applications must be received by February 25, 2016, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Requests for short-term deadline extensions will be accepted upon a formal request to the program managers referenced in this announcement; without such a request, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Applications will be considered for approval, pending available funding.


Section I: Funding Opportunity Description

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

In 1978, USDA signed a cooperative agreement with China’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) to exchange science and technology teams in agriculture in order to promote agricultural cooperation, development, and trade between the United States and China. Subsequently, SCEP has been incorporated into Presidential and Departmental initiatives and has facilitated the exchange of approximately 2,300 U.S. and Chinese professionals.

SCEP allows U.S. and Chinese teams to visit the partner country for up to 14 days in order to transfer knowledge and technology in agriculture. Teams may consist of up to six persons (six persons if interpretation services are not required; five persons if interpretation services are required). Note: Three selected topics may consist of up to eight persons (eight persons if interpretation services are not required; seven persons, if interpretation services are required). The increased number of participants will be indicated next to the selected topic listed below. USDA and MOA consult with the teams to design multi-city program agendas that initiate or strengthen linkages between our academic, public, and private institutions. Neither USDA nor MOA guarantee that all meeting requests will be honored and reserves the right to make changes to proposed dates and agendas.

SCEP is a cost share program. The U.S. team is responsible for the roundtrip international airfare. China’s MOA will cover most in-country program related expenses, including lodging, local transportation, meals, translations, and cultural activities. U.S. Teams will not receive direct funds from either USDA or MOA and thus a program budget is not required. Organizations applying to SCEP should obtain, as applicable, internal approvals to accept in-kind contributions prior to submitting an application.

USDA plans to accept one team for each of the eight topics listed below (i.e. a total of eight separate teams). Organizations may submit multiple proposals (limited to one proposal per topic) if interested in more than one of the topics identified below (i.e. up to eight separate proposals).

Priority consideration will be given to innovative proposals that address the topics and goals below:

· Agriculture Risk Management

This program will allow participants to mutually learn about China’s crop insurance programs and share knowledge on the U.S.’s crop insurance programs. China seeks to learn more about the U.S. system of crop insurance as they initiate reform to their crop insurance subsidy system. Since 2007, China’s Central Government began providing a premium subsidy for crop insurance. By 2013, China’s agricultural insurance rose to 30.6 billion CNY; ranking China as the second largest agricultural crop insurance market in the world[1]. The program will focus on the results of investment and the development of new approaches and incentives in crop insurance and risk management. The goal is to learn about how China manages its system and offer information on how the U.S. handles crop insurance. Preference is given to team members who are experts or knowledgeable about U.S. crop insurance and support programs.

· Farm Support Programs

This program will provide participants the opportunity to better understand the methods China uses to support rural livelihoods and agricultural productivity so that the U.S. can better engage and find opportunities for mutual cooperation. China has a very complex system for supporting and subsidizing agriculture. In the U.S., these programs are managed and funded through the U.S. Farm Bill. China uses different levers of support including price supports and other subsidies. Preference is given to team members who are experts or knowledgeable about China’s agricultural support programs.

· Grain and Oilseed Storage and Warehousing

This program will provide Chinese and U.S. technical experts the opportunity to better understand the methods each country uses for grain and oilseed storage and warehousing. China holds over half the world’s corn stocks and very high wheat and rice stocks. China is also the top export market for U.S. agricultural products. China accounts for over 60 percent of global soybean imports; of which, the U.S. supplies more than 40 percent[2]. USDA would like to share its experience in this area and learn more about China’s grain storage facilities, storage system, efforts to rotate growing stocks and to better understand China’s plans and strategy for how to improve storage and storage management. Note: China’s stocks and storage/warehousing systems are not fully transparent and participants should be mindful of sensitivities and be clear and considerate in approach. Preference is given to team members who are experts or knowledgeable about storage/warehousing systems and management, grain inspection, and similar expertise.

· Post-harvest Loss (8 person team (7 participants + 1 interpreter))

This program will provide Chinese and U.S. technical experts the mutual opportunity to discuss the issue of post-harvest loss. Post-harvest losses occur between harvest and the moment of human consumption. Post-harvest loss is a significant food security issue for China. Each year, China produces 20 percent of the world’s food, yet more than 50 million tons of food is lost or wasted along agricultural supply chains. The post-harvest system encompasses a sequence of activities and operations that can be divided into technical (e.g. harvesting, field drying, threshing, cleaning, storage, process) and economic (e.g. transporting, marketing, quality control, nutrition, administration, management). Storage, for example, in China is only one link – although the most significant – in the supply chain that contributes to post-harvest losses for all types of food (e.g. 5.7-8.6 percent for grain, 2.5-3.7 percent for meats, and 10-15 percent for perishable food)[3]. A significant factor is that China’s agricultural production system has long been based on small-scale production; currently about 250 million small farmers. Preference is given to team members who are experts or knowledgeable in post-harvest handling, storage technology, and processing and distribution best practices.

· Water Management and Conservation (8 person team (7 participants + 1 interpreter))

This program will provide Chinese and U.S. technical experts the mutual opportunity to share best practices and methods each country utilizes in water management and conservation. China is rich in water resources, but available water is less than one quarter of the world average and suffers chronic water shortages due to uneven distribution of water resources and rainfall, geographic mismatch between population, production centers, and water resources, and pollution. In January 2011, the Central Government’s annual “No. 1 Document” outlined a plan to expedite water conservancy development and reform and sustainable use and management of water resources by investing USD$635 billion over next 10 years[4]. The focus of this program is to share the U.S. experience with water management and conservation and to learn more about China’s objectives, measures and policies, irrigation management, enforcement, and collaborative stakeholder process in its water management and conservation system.

· Soil Fertility Management and Sustainability (8 person team (7 participants + 1 interpreter))

This program will provide Chinese and U.S. technical experts the mutual opportunity to share best practices and methods each country utilizes in soil fertility management and sustainability. Soil fertility is a measure of soil productivity; including physical, chemical and biological factors. More narrowly defined, it is the ability of soil to supply adequate levels of the nutrients that are essential for plant growth. According to the World Bank, China has 22 percent of the world’s population, but only 11.3 percent of its land is arable. In the context of food security challenges, soil fertility management is essential to ensuring continued food production. Over the past thirty years, due to high population pressure and small landholdings, China has adopted high-yielding, external input requiring production technologies to ensure food security. China is the world’s largest consumer of chemical fertilizers[5]. The focus of this program is for the U.S. and China technical experts to share their respective experiences in maintaining soil quality and productivity, assessment of changes (positive and negative), linkage between land quality and land management, and environmental sustainability (e.g. current land management practices contribute to off-site environmental damage (including groundwater and food contamination)). Preference is given to team members who are experts or knowledgeable in soil fertility management.

· Soil Mapping

This program is related to the Soil Fertility Management and Sustainability SCEP topic and will provide Chinese and U.S. technical experts the mutual opportunity to share technical knowledge and methods each country utilizes in soil mapping. The 2nd Chinese National Soil Survey was conducted from 1979 to 1985. In the U.S., soil maps consist of a broad based inventory of soils and non-soil areas compiled with data on geology, topography, vegetation, and climate with Land Remote Sensing Satellite (LANDSAT) images. The U.S. has extensive knowledge in soil mapping and would like to learn more about China’s efforts. The focus of this program is for the U.S. and China technical experts to share their respective experiences in soil mapping including the status of the next Chinese National Soil Survey, methodology, and the use of satellite imagery.

· Rangeland Management

This program will provide Chinese and U.S. technical experts the mutual opportunity to share best practices and methods each country utilizes in rangeland management. Range and pasture lands are diverse types of land where the primary vegetation produced is herbaceous plants and shrubs. Sustainable rangeland management is a critical concern. China is second in the world in area of rangelands with over 400 million hectares. China rangelands are 41.7 percent of the total land area (representing 11.8 percent of the world’s rangelands) and home to approximately 17 million pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. Rangeland degradation reduces ecosystem health and ecosystem services as well as social and economic impacts including increased frequency of sand and dust storms. The conversion of rangeland to cropland and over-grazing are the leading causes of rangeland degradation in China[6]. As early as the 1960s, China implemented a series of rangeland management policies aimed at land privatization, restriction of grazing, and the settlement of nomadic communities to address rangeland degradation, increasing population pressures, and pastoral development. By 2013, grazing had been excluded from 96 million hectares of rangeland in the main pastoral areas, accounting for about 24% of the total rangeland[7]. The focus of this program is for the U.S. and China technical experts to share their respective experiences in rangeland management including the inventorying and monitoring, analysis, treatment, wildlife management, conservation, and management of grazing land resources.

B. PROGRAM Responsibilities

Assignment of a Principal Investigator

The Principal Investigator (PI) should be identified in the proposal.

Principal Investigator Roles

The Principal Investigator (PI) will provide USDA with existing contacts and recommended meetings for consultation and approval at least 60 days prior to commencement of the program. The PI is required to identify all team members and potential dates for their SCEP trip within 2 months of their notification of selection. Failure to do so may result in their selection being revoked and awarded to another applicant.

Meetings and Expected Behavior

All meetings and the final itinerary will be confirmed by China’s MOA in advance. As guests of the Chinese Central government, it is the expectation that U.S. participants will not engage in outside meetings or activities not contained in the approved itinerary; unless otherwise agreed to by all parties in advance.

Travel and Transportation

· Each member of the proposed team is responsible for international airfare to and from China;

· Each member of the proposed team is responsible for obtaining a visa, which will require a letter of support from your organization and a formal invitation letter from China’s Ministry of Agriculture; USDA’s Trade and Scientific Exchanges Division will provide the latter letter approximately one month prior to the approved travel date;

· MOA will arrange and provide local transportation throughout the duration of the exchange program. This includes airport pick-up and drop-off.

Meals and Incidentals (M&IE)

MOA will provide the proposed team with meals or the per diem.

Emergency Health Insurance