MAF Sustainable Farming Fund

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MAF Sustainable Farming Fund
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Sustainable Farming Fund

• Supporting rural communities achieve economic,
  environmental and social sustainability
• 320 funded projects since 2000
• 9.5M funding available per annum
• Administered by MAF

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Supporting sustainability
Environmental
Social
Economic
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Criteria

• Aimed at Communities of Interest in the rural
  sectors
• Enhances social, environmental, or financial
  sustainability
• Innovative/ makes a difference/ results can be
  applied
• Aligns with existing community or sector
  strategies
• Good cost/ benefit ratio
• Results can be shared across a community or
  sector
• Commitment from applicant group (e.g. financial
  input and project direction)
• Involves key players
• Do not have to be a legal entity

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What do we fund?

• NO X
• Pure, fundamental, or long-term research
• Projects that benefit an individual or single
  business
• Capital expenditure or capital items
• Long-term, on-going costs
• Retrospective projects

• YES v
• Research at the applied end
• Technology transfer / extension
• Field trials/ demonstration sites
• Irrigation feasibility studies (with gt 50 cash
  support)

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What is a community of interest?

• A farmer or grower led group
• Often with the support of a consultant and/ or
  science provider
• The wider the better include other community
  groups, local government, sector organisations
  etc as appropriate

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Funding

• Two categories
• Under 20,000 (incl GST) from SFF.
• Over 20,000 (incl GST) from SFF to a maximum of
  200,000 per year (600,000 for total project)

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Contributing funding

• Max government funding (i.e. SFF any other
  central government funds) 80 of total project
  (for both lt20k and gt20k categories)
• However.. most projects average approx 55 SFF
  funding partner funding (cash in-kind)
• SFF is rarely the sole cash contributor

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Under 20,000 fund

• Aimed at smaller work programmes e.g. local or
  regional projects, new or emerging crops,
  small-sized sector groups
• Project length up to 3 years
• (usually 1 -2 years)
• One step process 4 page application form due
  early February
• Notified of results May
• Contract similar to larger projects
• Reporting against milestones every 6 months

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Over 20,000 fund

• Project length 1 -3 years
• Two step application process
• Contract required between applicant and SFF
• Reporting against milestones every 3 months

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Application process for gt20,000 projects

• Complete 2 page application and submit to SFF
  early February
• Applications assessed and applicants advised
  whether shortlisted (or not) by early April
• Shortlisted applicants prepare full application
  and submit to SFF by early May
• Full applications assessed and results announced
  mid June

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Who assesses your application?

• Under 20,000 and Over 20,000 phase 1 wide
  input from MAF and industry contacts
• Over 20,000 phase 2 independent panel makes
  formal recommendations to the Director General of
  MAF
• All assessment is based on your written
  application only!

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It is a competitive process!

• In 2004, the Fund was 3 x oversubscribed i.e.
  over 30 million requested in stage one.
• Many of the proposals turned down met all the
  criteria and were worthy of funding.
• Unsuccessful applicants can re-apply in future
  years SFF advisors can work with groups who are
  
• (re) submitting their application.

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Writing your application

• What we want to know
• Who are you?
• What are the issues?
• What is your project going to do about it?
• How are you going to go about it?
• How much money do you need to do this?

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Writing your application

• Some hints
• Normal sized fonts plenty of white space make
  easy to read
• Assume readers wont all be familiar with your
  industry/ issues explain the problem, dont use
  jargon
• Use a direct, easy-to-understand writing style
  (not a scientific style)

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Writing your application

• Be clear and specific about what you want to do
  so we can form a clear picture in our head.
• Explain why what you are doing is different/
  unique from any similar work that has been done
  before do your homework!
• Remember assessment is based on the written
  application only make it self-explanatory

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Milestones

• Required for lt20k fund at this stage and gt20k
  fund at phase 2
• Milestones provide SFF with a means of tracking
  project progress
• SO
• Make them MEASUREABLE and MEANINGFUL
• If appropriate build in an evaluation into the
  milestones i.e. what was the situation at the
  beginning of the project how have things
  changed by the end of the project?
• Opportunity to revisit before going to contract

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Milestone examples

• 1. Complete pre-harvest survey of the occurrence
  of common fungi in 5 feijoa orchards by May 2006.
• 2. Submit 2 popular articles to industry
  magazines targeted at NZ dairy farmers by 30
  March 2007.

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Implementation doesnt happen at the end build
it into the project

• Have the whole group involved from the beginning
  plan the project and milestones together.
• Consult with others who are likely to be affected
  (e.g. Regional Councils, other landowners) is
  what you are planning likely to work for them?
• Focus on practical outcomes that will be used
• Use suggestions from the group there will be a
  wealth of experience to be tapped into.
• Use ideas from other project teams there is no
  need to re-invent the wheel

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Implementation doesnt happen at the end build
it into the project

• Consult and update on progress throughout the
  project
• Use methods appropriate to your group or sector
  to do this e.g. workshops, meetings, field days,
  newsletters, emails, websites, small groups (but
  make sure you are not just ticking the box)
• Remember that timing is important
• Be flexible enough to adapt to changing needs
• AVOID the Well do the trials then tell
  everyone about them attitude
• How are you going to communicate short term
  long term
• How are you going to ensure change in practice
  short-term and long term?

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Ensuring the long-term life of the project

• Set the project up correctly in the first place
  clear milestones, project management, reporting,
  communication strategy, risk management etc.
• Is the end point appropriate? What do we really
  want from this project?
• Consider
• On-going structure/ skills/ financial resources
• Continuing champion or organisation in place
• Where will the information reside in the
  long-term?
• Continued relevance and benefits
• Collaborating with other sectors or groups

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Workshops for Phase 2 applicants

• SFF will offer workshops in early April for
  shortlisted applicants (gt20k fund) to offer some
  techniques for
• Project planning to ensure long term success

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Budgets what do we expect?

• Realistic and reasonable
• No contingencies or padding
• Phase 1 is a preliminary budget but we do not
  expect a significant change in overall dollars
  for phase 2
• Anything over 200k SFF funding is a big project

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Attached budget spreadsheet

• For lt20k projects and Phase 2 of gt20k projects
• A spreadsheet (e.g. excel) or explanation to show
  how you arrived at final costs (no set format)
• e.g 20 hours project management at 50 per hour
  1000
• 2 trips from Hamilton to Palmerston North for
  field trial assessment _at_400 each 800
• Include GST in all workings

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Valuing in-kind (non-cash) contributions

• See application guidelines
• To be valued at actual commercial costs
• Covers any costs specifically related to the
  project

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Contract

• Signed between the applicant group and SFF once
  the project has been approved
• Forms the basis of monitoring performance and
  approving grant payment
• Any subcontracts are the responsibility of the
  applicant group

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Intellectual property

• The grantee owns all intellectual property
  developed in the project
• Grantee grants a non-exclusive, royalty-free
  license to any person or body in NZ to use, copy
  or distribute the IP.
• At the Grantees request, MAF may alter, or place
  conditions on this license.

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Project management guidelines

• Developed by SFF in 2004 for all new project
  managers

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SFF Team

• Fund Manager Kevin Steel (Wellington)
• Fund Administrator Amanda Hall (Wellington)
• Project Advisors
• Helen Percy - Hamilton
• Barrie Wallace - Palmerston North
• Fiona Duncan - Wellington
• Katherine McCusker - Christchurch

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Communication

• Aim to share the results and benefits of funded
  projects as widely as possible across NZs rural
  communities.
• Website www.maf.govt.nz/sff
• Email newsletters to project teams
• Success stories widely distributed
• Feature articles on project outcomes/ lessons
  learnt
• SFF targeted workshops or events

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Email newsletter..
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Website

• www.maf.govt.nz/sff