A call for project proposals for sustainable rural development projects
Preface
The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe
conducted a needs assessment in August 1994. This assessment revealed
that Central and Eastern European environmental NGOs are very
interested in rural development problems. For this reason, ECU 125,000
have been earmarked to support projects that satisfy the criteria
listed below.
The REC is inviting project proposals from registered, not-for-profit,
non-governmental, environmental organizations from the following
countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia,
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia. Requests for
funding from the REC must not exceed ECU 20,000 per project. For the
purpose of this topic, the following exchange rates are in effect: ECU
1 = USD 1.23, DEM 1.90, HUF 135.76.
One of the REC's priorities is to promote cooperation among
environmental NGOs from different Central and Eastern European
countries. For this reason we have set aside ECU 50,000 (from the total
of ECU 125,000) for projects where at least two NGOs from different
countries work together on a common issue. The cooperation must include
a clear distribution of duties, tasks, and responsibilities among the
partners, but one representative from one NGO must be designated as the
Project Manager for the whole project. The cooperating partners must
provide documentation showing that they understand and agree to the
distribution of responsibilities, to the budget, and to the designated
Project Manager. This documentation must be part of the project
proposal.
The remaining ECU 75,000 will be available for projects involving
international and national cooperation, and those with no cooperation.
If you need information on possible partners or projects, including
what types of projects have worked and what types of projects have
failed, please contact the Earmarked Grants Team.
Introduction
Sustainable rural development applies to all human land use activities
outside of cities. This topic focuses on sustainable agricultural
practices and related activities, such as forest management, fishing,
land reclamation, and eco-tourism. The prevention and reduction of
agricultural pollution and the introduction or re-establishment of
sustainable agricultural practices will lead to the revival of
ecosystems, increased biodiversity and the production of healthy food.
Less intensive agricultural practices and other activities such as
eco-tourism provide work and income for rural communities.
Scope
The scope of this earmarked category covers:
- sustainable agricultural practices, i.e. the production of wholesome and safe food using a system that does not deplete the inherent productive capacity of natural and biological resources, and minimizes adverse impacts on the environment;
- environmentally sound practices in forestry, fish-farming, and game management;
- restoration of traditional, environmentally friendly agricultural practices and food production;
- production, promotion, and marketing of healthy food by members of rural communities;
- rural eco-tourism, i.e. small-scale tourism in rural areas that does not harm the natural or cultural heritage of the area, and provides support for local rural communities.
Approach
Projects should address these issues through one or more of the
following methods:
- Educating the public and raising public awareness (Note: Environmental Education will not be a separate topic in 1995, but education programs within the scope of this call for proposals are welcome.);
- Implementing concrete, practical, result-oriented projects that can be models for future work, such as profitable eco-farms and eco-tourism programs;
- Training land owners in sustainable practices, marketing strategies, and economic feasibility;
- Lobbying organizations and governments to support and promote sustainable rural practices, using mass communication media whenever possible;
- Clarifying the legal and economic framework for sustainable rural systems (as defined under Scope) and discovering feasible ways to establish and support them.
Proposal Preparation
- The "Earmarked Grants Proposal Guidelines" are available from the REC's Head Office and Local Offices. This publication must be used to prepare a proposal. "How to Write a REC Project Proposal," a step-by-step guide to proposal writing, is also available.
- Proposals must be completed in accordance with criteria in the "Earmarked Grants Proposal Guidelines" and this Call for Project Proposals.
Proposal Evaluation
All the general evaluation criteria described in the "Earmarked Grants
Proposal Guidelines" apply to this Call for Project Proposals. The
scoring sheet we use to evaluate proposals is available on request.
Specific Evaluation Criteria
- Priority is given to concrete and tangible result-oriented projects;
- Priority is given to projects with high involvement of local rural communities.
Deadline
Project proposals for consideration under Sustainable Rural
Development must be received at the REC Head Office (if delivered by
hand) or postmarked no later than 3 April 1995.
THE BULLETIN * WINTER 1994