https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=334586  Issue Date: July 6, 2021 Deadline for Question: July 16, 2021, 4:00pm Washington, D.C. time Closing Date: September 17, 2021 Closing Time: 4:00pm Washington, D.C. time   Subject: Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: 7200AA21RFA00018 Program Title: Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Soybean Value Chain Research Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 98.001   Ladies/Gentlemen: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications for a five year Leader with Associates cooperative agreement from qualified entities to implement the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Soybean Value Chain Research program. The estimated total program amount of $30 million includes $10 million in Development Assistance funding, $10 million in Associate awards and $10 million in mission buy-ins. Eligibility for this award is restricted to qualified U.S.-based Title XII universities. See Section C of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for eligibility requirements. Subject to the availability of funds, USAID intends to make an award to the applicant who best meets the objectives of this funding opportunity based on the merit review criteria described in this NOFO, subject to a risk assessment. Eligible parties interested in submitting an application are encouraged to read this NOFO thoroughly to understand the type of program sought, application submission requirements and selection process. To be eligible for award, the applicant must provide all information as required in this NOFO and meet eligibility standards in Section C of this NOFO. This funding opportunity is posted on www.grants.gov, and may be amended. It is the responsibility of the applicant to regularly check the website to ensure they have the latest information pertaining to this notice of funding opportunity and to ensure that the NOFO has been received from the internet in its entirety. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion process. If you have difficulty accessing the NOFO, please contact Kyle Davis via email at kydavis@usaid.gov for technical assistance. USAID may not award to an applicant unless the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifiers and System for Award Management (SAM) requirements detailed in Section D.IV.f. The registration process may take many weeks to complete. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to begin registration early in the process.   Please send any questions to Kyle Davis at kydavis@usaid.gov. The deadline for questions is shown above. Responses to questions received prior to the deadline will be furnished to all potential applicants through an amendment to this notice posted to www.grants.gov. Issuance of this notice of funding opportunity does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in preparation or submission of comments/suggestions or an application. Applications are submitted at the risk of the applicant. All preparation and submission costs are at the applicant’s expense. Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.   Sincerely,   Rachel Baltes Agreement Officer   Read more

The International Horticultural Congress (IHC) is the most important scientific event organised under the aegis of the ISHS. An IHC takes place every four years and the next one, the 31st International Horticultural Congress, IHC2022 will be held in the city of Angers, France 14-20 August 2022. Abstract submission is open! Visit https://www.ihc2022.org/submission-registration/abstract-submission/ for more details and instructions to submit your abstract. Abstract submission deadline is 15 November 2021. Discover the 25 IHC2022 symposia at https://www.ihc2022.org/scientific-program/symposia/ each covering a theme open to original results, innovative methods and multidisciplinary cross-cutting views. Each symposium is organised in sessions with keynotes, oral and e-poster presentations, and welcomes academic and applied communications. The scientific program has been elaborated thanks to the IHC2022 Scientific Committee, the ISHS Executive Committee (Division and Commission Chairs) and the respective conveners and scientific committees of each symposium. For any questions about the scientific program, please contact sciences@ihc2022.org The 25 IHC2022 Symposia are:   S1: Breeding and Effective Use of Biotechnology and Molecular Tools in Horticultural Crops S2: Conservation and Sustainable Use of Horticultural Genetic Resources S3: Quality Seeds and Transplants for Horticultural Crops and Restorative Species S4: In Vitro Technology and Micropropagated Plants S5: Innovations in Ornamentals: from Breeding to Market S6: Innovative Technologies and Production Strategies for Sustainable Controlled Environment Horticulture S7: II International Symposium on Greener Cities: Improving Ecosystem Services in a Climate-Changing World (GreenCities2022) S8: Advances in Vertical Farming S9: Urban Horticulture for Sustainable Food Security (UrbanFood2022) S10: Value Adding and Innovation Management in the Horticultural Sector S11: Adaptation of Horticultural Plants to Abiotic Stresses S12: Water: a Worldwide Challenge for Horticulture! S13: Plant Nutrition, Fertilization, Soil Management S14: Sustainable Control of Pests and Diseases S15: Agroecology and System Approach for Sustainable and Resilient Horticultural Production S16: Innovative Perennial Crops Management S17: Integrative Approaches to Product Quality in Fruits and Vegetables S18: Precision and Digital Horticulture in Field Environments S19: Advances in Berry Crops S20: The Vitivinicultural Sector: Which Tools to Face Current Challenges? S21: XII International Symposium on Banana: Celebrating Banana Organic Production S22: Natural Colorants from Plants S23: Post-harvest Technologies to Reduce Food Losses S24: IX International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables - FAVHEALTH2022 S25: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Domestication, Breeding, Cultivation and New Perspectives See you in Angers in 2022! Read more

Closing date for proposals on 7th of September 2021 The European Joint Programme “EJP SOIL - Towards climate-smart sustainable management of agricultural soils” comprise 24 countries committed to the overall goal of providing sustainable agricultural soil management solutions that contribute to key societal challenges including climate change and future food supply. Rationale & Aim of the call The objective of this call is to foster holistic agricultural (forestry soils are not excluded) soil management practices which will assist in making a shift to diversify farming to include a variety of sustainable and environmental practices. Knowledge gaps in the area of SOC sequestration need to be closed, e.g. by developing soil management options which help to protect existing stocks of soil carbon and store additional C through sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere. Effective CO2 sequestration can help reduce GHG emissions thereby helping to fulfil the objectives of the European Green Deal. Another objective is to make a shift from those agricultural practices that contributes to soil degradation, towards, more sustainable practices and methods. This not only addresses sustainable production but also a healthy environment, which can be achieved by, enhancing knowledge about biodiversity, and understanding functionalities and interactions in soils. Strong population growth combined with climate change challenges has placed food security high on the global agenda and therefore it is one of the key elements of the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy. Sustainable production refers to not only healthy soil management but also addresses research in respect of water storage, soil salinization and biodiversity, while considering climate change. Drastic changes are required to some of our current farming systems to modify agriculture’s practises as a provider of adequate, safe and healthy food that is produced in a manner that is sustainable and environmentally friendly. Thus, interested project consortia should apply to one of the three topics: A) Understanding SOC sequestration (stabilization, storage and persistence) B) Soil biodiversity: status, and role in ecosystem services provided by soils C) Site-specific or landscape-scale approaches to improve sustainability, resilience, health, and productivity of soils     To learn more and apply: https://ejpsoil.eu/research-projects/first-external-call-pre-announcement/?utm_source=RUFORUM+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=7ae7ebcd40-RUFORUM+Weekly+-+Vol.3+No.25_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcfbb8a0b-7ae7ebcd40-346973753&ct=t()&goal=0_1fcfbb8a0b-7ae7ebcd40-346973753&mc_cid=7ae7ebcd40&mc_eid=d95cf18a8d  Read more

About the JournalThe African Journal of Rural Development (AFJRD) is an online open access scientific journal that publishes articles on a quarterly basis (March, June, September, December). It is a multi-disciplinary peer-reviewed journal with an ultimate purpose of sharing and increasing the depth of knowledge on aspects of sustainable rural development. The Journal welcomes submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of domain significance and scientific excellence. All articles published in AFJRD will be peer reviewed. AFJRD is an open access journalOne key request to researchers across the world is unrestricted access to research publications. Open access gives a worldwide audience larger than that of any subscription-based journal and thus increases the visibility and impact of published works. It also enhances indexing, retrieval power and eliminates the need for permissions to reproduce and distribute content. AFJRD is fully committed to the Open Access Initiative and will provide free access to all articles as soon as they are published. Call for ArticlesAFJRD welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of domain significance and scientific excellence, and will publish: Original Research articles: These should describe new and carefully confirmed findings. In addition, experimental procedures and/or approach used by the study should be given in sufficient detail for others to verify work done. The length of a full paper should be the minimum required to describe and interpret the work clearly. Short Communications: A Short Communication is suitable for recording the results of complete small investigations or giving details of new models or hypotheses, innovative approaches and methods, techniques or apparatus. Reviews: Submissions of reviews and perspectives covering topics of current interest are welcome and encouraged. Reviews manuscripts are also peer reviewed. Submission of ArticlesWe invite you to submit your manuscript(s) via email directly to our editor: editor@afjrd.org for publication. Our objective is to inform authors of the decision on their manuscript (s) within a period of three months from the date of submission. Following acceptance, a paper will normally be published in the next issue. The guide to authors and other details are available on www.afjrd.org. You are required to register on the website before submitting your manuscript. In case of any queries, contact us via info@afjrd.org. Submission Timelines:AFJRD receives manuscripts for consideration for publication throughout the year. Read more