About this archived opportunity

The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Office of Pesticide Consultationand Analysis (OPCA) is now accepting applications for the Biologically Integrated FarmingSystems (BIFS) Program. Funding for this solicitation comes from OPCA’s allocation of thepesticide mill assessment. For the current request for proposals (RFP), CDFA will award up to $1million, and applicants may request the full amount. This program develops projects thatdemonstrate, refine, and outreach innovative, biologically integrated farming systems thatreduce chemical pesticide inputs. For this RFP, we have identified five priority areas (see ProjectPriorities below). Proposals should advance the goals of California's Sustainable Pest Management (SPM)Roadmap, including efforts to 1) enhance knowledge, research, and technical assistance; 2)align pest control advisors (PCAs) with SPM; and 3) reduce economic risk for growerstransitioning to SPM. The BIFS application process will occur in two stages: 1) concept proposal submission and 2) fullproposal development. This RFP is to solicit concept proposals. After concept proposal reviewand scoring is complete, OPCA will select up to three applicants to develop full proposals, whichinclude a detailed workplan, budget, budget justification, and letters of support. This RFPoutlines requirements for both concept proposals and full proposals. We anticipate funding oneproposal at the full $1 million. Prior to full proposal development, OPCA scientists will meetwith the selected applicants to discuss reviewer comments as part of a pre-projectconsultation. The focus of this RFP is to help growers transition away from non-selective, biologicallydisruptive pesticides, especially those of high regulatory concern. The BIFS program supportsthe demonstration, refinement, and outreach of SPM-based farming systems that areeconomically viable and protective of human health and the environment. All aspects of thefarming system may be considered as they relate to pest management, including factors such asadjacent landscapes, whether they are farmed or not.For the current solicitation, CDFA has identified five priority topics based on recent orproposed regulatory actions and grower needs; however, projects focusing on other topicsare welcome to be submitted.Priority topics:• Areawide Lygus management• Neonicotinoid alternatives in tomato• Dacthal (dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, DCPA) alternatives in Brassica and onioncrops• Paraquat alternatives• Areawide rodent management BIFS projects typically include all the following elements:1. On-farm demonstration/evaluation of an innovative, biologically based farming systemthat employs SPM strategies;2. A collaborative outreach effort for sharing technical information about the farmingsystem with growers, PCAs, commodity groups, and others engaged in pestmanagement, and;3. An organized program for monitoring key biological and economic variables to informon-farm decision making and evaluate project success.