Consider these additional tips when reviewing proposals:
- Look are current market/sustainable ag farming trends. How would the grant results support those trends?
- Read the Call for Proposals before reviewing. It helps to answer the following questions:
Is this really a sustainable ag project? Is every section included? Are budget items
allowable? Is the timetable realistic? Are the objectives clear? - Do applicants have the skills to conduct the project? If not, are they working/consulting
with someone who does? - Can you understand what the applicant is proposing? If the proposal is difficult to
understand, the applicant may not be able to present results in a logical way. - Is the proposal a band-aid to conventional agriculture that incrementally sustains the
unsustainable, or is it an innovative idea that seeks transformative change toward agro-
ecological, holistic systems? - Is the systems approach clear in the proposal? Does the proposal incorporate the three
pillars of sustainability? Are research experts emphasizing the three pillars involved in
the project? - Think about how your comments would help applicants strengthen their proposal or
improve their grant writing skills. Your comments should be useful to the applicant in
addressing a gap in their proposal that may not align with the evaluation criteria. Think
about what would make the proposal fundable.
The Project Review Committee is responsible for ensuring that the selected projects reflect not
only scientific merit, but include projects from as many priority areas as possible, from across
states, institutions, stakeholder groups and NGOs. The comments given to PIs should be
constructive and explicit. It is important that the review comments be of adequate substance to
assist an author in meaningful revision. Short, one-sentence comments that provide little value
for improvement are unhelpful for applicants. Be sure to focus on providing suggestions or
recommendations that allow applicants to strengthen their grant-writing skills or improve upon
their grant proposal for future resubmission and consideration