RESEARCH AND TRAINING PROGRAM IN ANDEAN AGROECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

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 for educational institutions and universities on agroecology. Design and guidance for public policies on agroecology and food systems.

Support will be granted to up to 5 Research Groups for a working period of 1 years (18 months). Research Groups must have a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 members, including research professors, undergraduate and graduate students, technical institute staff, 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 work 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 or the equivalent in the current local currency) 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 curriculum, etc.).
2. The monetary allocation will be made effective through bank transfers, in installments, made to a representative of the selected 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 Research Group.
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. 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.
6. 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. Selected participants will be required to possess the necessary personal documentation to participate in the event, as well as personal health and other insurance.

Responsibilities of the selected groups:

7. 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.).
8. The research groups will be responsible for carrying out monitoring and participatory reflection activities proposed by the Program throughout the course of the research. These spaces will serve to provide feedback on the process with observations and reflections on possible changes, reformulations, or follow-ups (internal, within the research groups, and external, in the linked institutions and in the communities where they are working).
9. Deliver progress reports, final reports and other products or results requested by the Program in a timely manner.

The coordinator may only submit one proposal to this Call for Proposals. The proposal for the Research Group to be supported must be completed using the online form that appears after the personal and academic information has been entered, and must include 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 peoples, among others), 9. Bibliography, 10. Timeline/Work plan, 11. Strategic dimension. 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 proposal must include the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) dimension as a cross-cutting perspective to research groups and in generating impacts in local communities and regional, intercultural and indigenous universities in the three countries.
• The composition of the Research Group must respect gender equality.
• 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 calls, scholarships or trials 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.
• Applications from researchers who are beneficiaries of other McKnight Foundation projects will be accepted.
• Texts written in Spanish will be accepted.
• The selected groups must submit a letter of support signed by 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 April 2024 y 2025 September (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, visual resources, or materials for social media). 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.
• If the results are presented in audiovisual format (photographic series, visual resources or materials for social networks), the Program will provide guidance on the production and delivery of the materials.

• 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 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 Methodology, 7) Feasibility, 8) Fieldwork, 9) Diversity, and 10) Impact beyond the project. Furthermore, we emphasize that priority will be given to proposals from universities and research or teaching institutes in rural areas with less experience or fewer opportunities to access resources and research contacts in agroecology.
• The evaluation and selection of the selected candidates for this call will take into account gender equity and the diversity of regional and thematic representation.
• 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 selected candidates from this call for applications will be announced. during the month of March 2024.

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 is considered a sworn statement, indicating whether or not applicants are affiliated with a member center belonging to the CLACSO network. Consult the database of centers. members in: http://www.clacso.org.ar/institucional/cm_listado_completo.php?s=2&idioma=Although in the current call for applications this requirement is not mandatory.
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.

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 count applications that have been successfully completed as valid.