RESEARCH AND TRAINING PROGRAM IN ANDEAN AGROECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS 2023 – FIRST COHORT

The projects submitted by the Research Groups should be oriented around these four strategic dimensions of agroecology:

• Environmental: Explicit recognition of the climatic, biophysical and ecosystemic characteristics and the way in which they influence (and are influenced by) Andean agricultural systems.
• Socio-cultural: Analysis of the ways in which different cultural aspects of small farmers interact with Andean agriculture, considering at least the family and community levels.
• Socio-economic: Understanding the interrelationships of Andean agroecological systems with both the sociodemographic characteristics of families and communities and with the different combinations of subsistence and market economies that households have.
• Socio-political: Understanding the different forms of social organization that small farmers have, as well as the institutions (i.e., norms) for the governance, use and control of resources.

The following are some indicative examples to illustrate an interdisciplinary approach, although proposals outside the axes mentioned below will not be excluded.

• Seed systems.
• Co-creation and dialogue of knowledge. 
• Collective action of peasant and indigenous social organizations and movements.
• Creation of market spaces and short marketing cycles.
• Water management.
• Rural-urban linkage.
• Conservation and use of biodiversity.
• Curriculum development of educational institutes and universities on agroecology.
• Design and guidance towards public policies on agroecology and food systems.

Up to five grants will be awarded for a period of one and a half years (18 months) to up to five Research Groups. Research Groups must have a minimum of three and a maximum of five members, including faculty researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, and representatives of communities and other local stakeholders (e.g., rural schools, Indigenous organizations, agricultural organizations, agroecological networks, public policy institutions, etc.). Once the maximum number of members for the application is reached, additional members and institutions may be added during the course of the research process.

Up to 5 (five) proposals will be selected to be supported with:

1. A monetary allocation equivalent to USD 20.000 (twenty thousand US dollars) for the execution of the project and to promote activities that can strengthen or consolidate the Research Group, networking and its connections (strengthening the capacities of the members, study trips to the communities with university students, awareness events for the university population, creation of study plans or curricula, etc.).
2. The monetary allocation will be made effective through bank transfers, in installments, made to a representative of the winning Group, against presentation of a receipt and the progress reports necessary to make the transfer effective.
3. The funds received by each project may also be used to organize or support face-to-face meetings of the work team.
4. The program includes the support of a research tutor assigned by the organizing institutions, who will guide the Research Group's process and provide guidance in fulfilling the proposed work plan. The call for applications also anticipates that the tutors will be involved in the program's development by participating in virtual and in-person working sessions and interacting with the groups and the Program team.
5. Support will be provided for the participation of one representative from each project in two exchange and training seminars. The date and venue for each event will be determined by the organizers. Winners will be required to possess the necessary personal documentation to participate in the event, as well as personal health and other insurance.
6. The selected groups must participate in virtual meetings on the Program's Virtual Platform to present the progress of their research projects and other complementary activities for the expansion and exchange of knowledge on topics related to the support provided (forums, reading and analysis of documents, etc.).
7. The publication of the final version of the research work in printed or digital format or the support for the production of the audiovisual products that are proposed as a result of the work process. 

The coordinator may only participate with one proposal in this Call for Proposals.

• The proposal from the Research Group to be supported must be completed using the online form that appears after filling in the personal and academic information, including the following points: 1. Project title, 2. Project summary, 3. Problem statement, 4. Problem's context within the local or regional context, 5. Theoretical framework, 6. Objectives, 7. Methodology, 8. Expected results and impacts in the local or regional context (in this section, consider the networks with local and/or international stakeholders with which the research group is involved, for example: communities, universities, social organizations, farmers, peasants, and indigenous people, among others), 9. Bibliography, 10. Timeline/Work plan, 11. Strategic dimension. The proposals will be reviewed for their formal and administrative aspects to ensure compliance with the Call for Proposals guidelines.
• The proposal may contain a work project that is in an initial, intermediate, or advanced stage of development. In all cases, the products must be original and unpublished and developed within the period established by the Call for Proposals.
• The Research Group's proposal must include the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) dimension. as a cross-cutting perspective to research teams and in generating impacts in local communities and regional, intercultural and indigenous universities in the three countries. 
• Members of the Steering Committee or officials of the Executive Secretariat of CLACSO and directors of the McKnight Foundation may not be present.
• Proposals from researchers who are currently scholarship recipients under research competitions, scholarships or essays organized by CLACSO will not be accepted.
• Applications will be accepted from researchers who have received a research grant awarded by CLACSO, provided that the beneficiary has fulfilled the obligations undertaken in a timely manner.
• Texts written in Spanish will be accepted.
• Only the winners of the support will need to submit a letter of endorsement with the signature of their institutions, indicating that they are qualified to carry out the proposed work and endorsing their participation in this program. 

• The submissions eligible for this call will have a duration of 18 months between June 2023 y December 2024 (delivery of the revised version of the report and final article). 
• The main activities that can be funded are: participation in agroecology training spaces, the formation or consolidation of networks at the local and regional level, the action research project, field work and extension projects with communities and other local actors, attendance at virtual and face-to-face seminars, among others.
• At the end of the project, each Research Group must present its results in the form of a publishable article that systematizes the lessons learned and experiences developed. This text may take various formats, such as: public policy design, training materials (booklets, notebooks, manuals, workshops), communication campaigns, research reports, among others. Groups may also present their results in audiovisual format (photo series or visual resources). In this case, they must be accompanied by a written text.
• The text should be 20 pages long, in Times New Roman 12-point font, single-spaced. This is an approximate guideline, and the organizing institutions are free to accept revisions or exceptions if they deem it necessary.
• The structure of the text will be free, respecting the conventions of presentation of an academic text and the editorial standards of CLACSO and APA + genre.
• Only texts written in Spanish will be accepted.

• In the first stage, the submitted proposals will be reviewed for their formal and administrative aspects to verify their compliance with the Call for Proposals. Proposals that do not meet the established requirements will be rejected.
• The proposals that pass to the next stage are evaluated by an International Committee composed of experts who will assess the quality and relevance of the proposals submitted under a pseudonym, whose decision will be final.
• The evaluation of the projects will consider the following dimensions: 1) Environmental Dimension, 2) Socio-Cultural Dimension, 3) Socio-Economic Dimension, 4) Socio-Political Dimension, 5) Relevance, 6) Research Method, 7) Feasibility, 8) Fieldwork, 9) Diversity, 10) Impact beyond the project.
• The evaluation and selection of the winners of this call will take into account gender equity and the diversity of regional representation.
• A selection process will be carried out, based on the evaluation performed, considering the following criteria: geographical, thematic and gender.
• The Call for Proposals may be declared void or a smaller number of beneficiaries may be selected, if the proposals submitted do not meet the required quantity or quality.
• The winners of this competition will be announced. in June 2023.

       Situations not covered in this document will be resolved by the convening institutions.

• The final versions of the products of the Research Group to be supported will be published in open and free access by the organizing institutions.
• CLACSO and McKnight reserve the rights to publish, reproduce and/or exhibit the final products produced within the framework of the call for proposals in any medium. 
• The authors will transfer the original publication rights of their works, given that CLACSO adheres to and defends the principles of open science and open access to knowledge, so that the resulting work is easy to find, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Subsequently, these works may be published in any other medium, always citing this Call for Proposals. Research Groups must inform CLACSO of the subsequent publication of the works resulting from the projects.

Registration must be completed through the online system provided by CLACSO. Printed or emailed submissions will not be accepted. Applications that do not comply with the established guidelines will be rejected. It is recommended that you access the online system to review the registration form.

1. Visit the CLACSO website to access the registration system.
2. Register in the CLACSO Single Registration System (SUIC). Each time the applicant wishes to access the system to consult, modify, add or send information in this or any other CLACSO activity, they must log in with their personal username and password.
3. Identify the proposal by indicating the title, the strategic dimension in which it falls, and the pseudonym chosen for the application. Applications whose pseudonyms correspond to the applicant's first and/or last name will not be accepted.
4. Complete the registration form, which serves as a sworn statement indicating whether or not applicants are affiliated with a member center belonging to the CLACSO network. Consult the database of member centers at: http://www.clacso.org.ar/institucional/cm_listado_completo.php?s=2&idioma=
5. Complete the personal and academic information form and attach the required documents. If you do not meet the requirements listed on the form, write "Not applicable" in the corresponding space. 
6. The proposal must be filled out on the form that appears once the personal and academic data has been completed.
7. To complete your registration, click the CLOSE REGISTRATION button. The system will generate an electronic certificate that will serve as proof of successful submission. The system will only consider applications that have been successfully completed as valid.