14 December 2007

E-news Number 19 for project teams and all those interested in Sustainable Farming in New Zealand

Special edition:Launch of Sustainable Farming Fund Climate Change portfolio

Dear all                          He mihi nui ki a koutou

The SFF is pleased to announce that it has secured $2.0 million per year from the recent Climate Change Programme of Action budget for investment in a new Sustainable Farming Fund-Climate Change (SFF-CC) portfolio.

The establishment of the Climate Change portfolio is a welcome and positive step. It will not only allow a fuller range of climate change related projects to be supported, but also will help take some 'heat' out of the heavily over-subscribed annual SFF round.

It is intended that from 2009/10 onwards, this new funding will be invested using the same processes as the usual SFF programme (with additional expertise brought in as appropriate at the assessment stage). However, due to the late timing of this announcement relative to the normal SFF round, the 2008/09 establishment year will use a one phase process and a dedicated panel. Further details are outlined below.

We look forward to working with you all to make the SFF-CC portfolio a success.

Kind regards,
Craig Grant, Manager, SFF

In the special edition of e-news we provide:

• Background to this additional funding
• How to apply for funding 2008/09 - closing date, guidelines and application forms
• Specific funding available for Greenhouse Gas Footprinting and Life Cycle Analysis for primary industries
• Questions and answers
• Further information

SFF Climate Change Funding - background and big picture

The establishment of a Sustainable Farming Fund-Climate Change (SFF-CC) portfolio is a new initiative directly stemming from the Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Plan of Action. Click here for more information about the Plan of Action.

As part of the Plan of Action, funding has been allocated to encourage the uptake of new greenhouse gas mitigation technologies and to develop and adopt land management practices that reduce emissions and/or improve the ability of the primary industries to adapt to climate change.

One key component is the provision of new contestable funding. Two million dollars per year will be invested to enable farmers, foresters and growers to trial and develop such practices "from the grass-roots up". This funding known as SFF-CC (or Sustainable Farming Fund Climate Change) will be be run alongside the usual SFF funding round using the same processes for application, assessment, contracting and management of the projects. The major difference for projects assessed under the SFF-CC portfolio is that they must be able to demonstrate a genuine ability to advance the following climate change-related objectives:

• Adaptation - reducing the impact of climate change on the New Zealand primary industries;
• Mitigation - reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with associated reduction in environmental impacts and improvement in resource use efficiency;
• Business opportunities - capitalising on related business opportunities such as those around life cycle analysis, carbon farming and bioenergy.

How to apply for SFF-CC funding

Due to the timing of the new funding announcement, the 2008/09 SFF-CC application and assessment process will be managed separately from the main SFF funding round. This will be a transition arrangement - in future years the SFF-CC portfolio will be managed in parallel with the annual SFF funding round.

The timetable for the 2008/09 SFF-CC funding round is as follows:

As this is a transition year we using a one-step application process for SFF-CC with only one application form regardless of the size of the application. This form is very similar to the usual SFF Phase 2 application form except that applicants must demonstrate how their proposal will relate to adaptation, mitigation or business opportunities with regard to climate change. We encourage you to read the guidelines carefully for further information and also familiarise yourself with the Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Plan of Action.

Click here to download the SFF-CC application form from the SFF website

Click here to download the SFF-CC guidelines from the SFF website

Click here to download the Sustainable Land Managment and Climate Change Plan of Action

Key points to note:

• Applicants can request up to $200,000 per annum from SFF for up to 3 years (maximum is $600,000 including GST);
• Partnership funding (cash and in-kind) is expected - see guidelines for further details;
• You are encouraged to discuss your application with a SFF project advisor - click here for contact details;
• No late applications will be accepted;
• Your application will be assessed by an external panel made up of primary sector leaders. Members of the Climate Change Technical Working Group, sector groups, and MAF staff will also provide comments to assist the external panel in their decision making.
• The assessment process is subjective and merit-based - there is no guarantee that any proposal will be funded, nor that the full allocation of $2.0 million will be invested in this round.

Greenhouse Gas Footprinting and Life Cycle Analysis

In addition to the $2.0 million that has been allocated for SFF-CC for the 2008/09 year and beyond, a further $200,000 per annum has been specifically ear-marked for supporting Life Cycle Analysis and Greenhouse Gas Footprinting (GHG-LCA) studies over the next three years.

Note: this funding complements the main programme of Life Cycle Analysis and Greenhouse Gas Footprinting that MAF leads, including the recent series of partnership tenders.

The aim of this targeted funding is to:

• Ensure that smaller primary industries can progress GHG footprinting work;
• Focus on specific hotspots in a supply sector chain where robust information may be missing, or specific work is needed to identify emission reduction opportunities;
• Enable better education, information and networking among the primary industries on GHG footprinting work; and
• Test or trial new technologies, products and processes that can improve these GHG footprints.

In additon to the usual SFF assessment criteria, these projects will also be assessed on the following:

• Alignment of the metholology with relevant emerging international standards and national approaches such as the Emission Trading Scheme and National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (NB: there will be some flexibility around the unique factors applying to a particular industry or region).
• Comprehensiveness of the measurement approach - that means measuring all three major greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and in livestock systems, methane), plus other greenhouse gas emissions if relevant, would be considered more complete than just focusing on one gas.

Successful applicants will be invited to participate in a workshop to share and test their proposed methods.

Applications are to be made on the SFF-CC Application forms and will be assessed alongside the other SFF-CC applications.

Questions and Answers

How do I know if I should put my application into the usual SFF funding round on 11 February, or the SFF-CC round on 10 March?

If your project has a Climate Change focus then it should be submitted into the SFF-CC funding round on 10 March. Projects submitted into the usual SFF funding round at Phase 1, that are considered to have a strong climate change focus will automatically be re-directed into the SFF-CC portfolio.

Is there an under $20,000 fund in SFF-CC?

Yes. Applications requesting a total grant of less than $20,000 (incl GST) from SFF will be considered as a separate catorgory. However, as there is only a one-step application process for the 2008/09 funding round, all applications will be made on the same form. Grants of less than $20,000 are particularly appropriate for groups wishing to undertake an initial scoping study before embarking on a larger project, or for projects with a regional or local focus. Recipients of SFF grants of less than $20,000 have a reduced reporting requirement compared to the larger projects.

What are the reporting requirements for the SFF-CC projects?

Project management and reporting will be the same as for the usual SFF projects. Refer to the guidelines for further details.

For more information

All SFF-CC information is under the SFF website "How to Apply" section. Click here to view.

For information about previous SFF projects with a climate change focus click here and do a search on "Climate Change" from the drop down menu.

For general information about the SFF-CC funding please contact Helen Percy (phone 07 9578 321).

Ending

Please contact us if you want to provide something for future editions of SFF E-news.

Let us know if you don't wish to receive any more editions of E-news or if there is someone who should be added to our distribution list.

Kia rongo korero ano matou i a koutou

Kind regards
Amanda, Craig, Diana, Daile, Katherine and Helen