AFE GRANTS SYSTEM

To enhance the delivery of extension services in the country, the ATI offers extension grants through its Agricultural and Fisheries Extension (AFE) Grant System. This is to provide an accessible means for funding support to encourage the participation of extension service providers for more comprehensive training and other complementary extension services towards a modern Philippine agriculture. Through this, the ATI can ensure that extension services provided by the local government units, academe, and the private sector are delivered in harmony and in complementary with the programs and services of the different sectors.

Under this system, various extension activities may be proposed to create more opportunities for AFE beneficiaries, partners, and stakeholders. 

Research Grant for e-Extension and Knowledge Products - covers the research focusing on the evaluation of the effectiveness of the knowledge products and services, including the e-extension or ICT-based services of the ATI. The results of the research studies will be used as references for program improvement and for planning the future directions of the Knowledge Management initiatives of the Institute.

This grant is open to all Filipino researchers from the government, non-government, SUCs, or private sector.

For institutional applicants, they must be identified as a professional/scientific/academic institution by a commission/agency/organization mandated to do so. They must have established credible reputation and good track record to successfully implement research as reflected in the company/ agency/institution profile.

For individual applicants, he/she must possess credible academic qualifications, such as a graduate of any BS course preferably social science-related, and with a good track record to successfully conduct/implement research/study.

Grant for Extension Research and Policy Studies -  provided to qualified applicants to undertake policy research/studies on AFE that aim to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of extension delivery systems. The results of the study will provide readily available information support for the policy-making decisions affecting the practice of agricultural extension. This grant aims to encourage various stakeholders from the government and non-government institutions, state universities and colleges, among others to undertake policy research/studies, that may be categorized as:

1. Impact/Results Assessment/Evaluation Study - to assess the effect of an AFE service on its target beneficiaries to determine whether to continue, expand, re-implement, re-design, or completely abolish the service.
2. Research on Extension Policy Issues - to examine and generate policy recommendations for the prevalent AFE issues.

Grant for AFE Innovation Studies -- studies that aim to improve extension practices through the development of new and/or an enhancement of existing extension modalities. Knowledge generated from these studies must be novel enough to satisfy what best fits specific contexts.

These studies must cover any of the following:

1. Extension Approach – refers to the philosophy and style of action that informs, stimulates, and guides the extension system, its nature/type of structure, leadership programs, resources, and linkages.
2. Extension Strategy – is a process, procedure, and a set of activities to operationalize the extension approach to facilitate learning for a specific area or program.
3. Extension Methods - pertains to the educational techniques employed by the extension system particularly by its field staff in communicating with farmers.

Grant for the Production of Knowledge Products among Extension Service Providers (ESPs) - covers the development, production, reproduction, and dissemination of knowledge products in multimedia format with topics related to agriculture and fisheries. This includes the documentation of good agricultural practices as well as indigenous agricultural practices. The proposal should be within the priority commodities or banner program of the DA, which includes but is not limited to those stipulated in the Food Staples Sufficiency Program.

Grant for Training and Other Training-Related Projects - provided to qualified partners from the three pillars of extension to conduct training and training-related activities/projects, such as School-on-the-Air (SOA) programs and technology demonstrations, which aim to increase the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of its immediate and intermediate stakeholders.  This grant is also in line with the policy of the state regarding the re-devolution of functions and services through Executive Order No. 138, series of 2021, where it stated  that the delivery of frontline extension services to farmers and fisherfolk shall be handled by the LGUs. Any request or instructions for the ATI to conduct farmer-level training programs shall be coursed through relevant extension service providers, utilizing the provision of grants under the AFE grants system.

Eligible Expenditures

To guide the proponents during the preparation of proposals, the allowed eligible expenditures shall only be for the direct cost of the proposed activity. Per ATI Memorandum No. M19-09-388 dated September 9, 2019, re: Revised Guidelines on the Provision of Extension Support to AFE Clients through Grants and ATI Memorandum No. M20-04-131 dated April 28, 2020, re: Supplemental Guidelines for the Provision of Extension Support to AFE Clients through Grants, the eligible expenditures shall be as follows:

1. Accommodation of participants, resource person, and training management team
2. Rental of training facility
3. Rental of vehicle
4. Communication expenses (e.g., cellphone cards)
5. Gasoline/fuel
6. Public transportation expenses (e.g., airfare, bus fare)
7. Professional fee/resource person honorarium
8. Common supplies and materials (e.g., pen, paper, modules)
9. Extension support to successful trainees (e.g. agricultural inputs, small farm animals,
10. farm tools and implements, manually operated machineries and equipment).
11. Rental of training equipment (e.g., computer, audiovisual equipment)
12. Rental of farm machineries and equipment
13. Rental of small-scale farm infrastructure (e.g., animal housing, small water system,
14. solar/collapsible drier, mini-warehouse)
15. Rental of farm animals (e.g., carabao, cattle, sheep)
16. Basic personal protective equipment and sanitation materials (e.g., gloves, alcohol, face masks, disinfectant wipes)
17. Other items provided that the proposal justifies that these will indeed constitute the direct cost of training

Grants for Establishment of Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) and School for Practical Agriculture (SPA) - encourage farmers to transform their farms to become a Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) where they can showcase their agricultural technologies and doable farming strategies, making their farm operations successful and worthy of emulation. After thorough evaluation, these farms shall be referred to as the accredited LSAs of the ATI upon the acceptance of responsibility by the farm owner/farm family.

The accredited LSAs, especially if they are exceptionally performing, may apply to be upgraded into SPA. The farm shall be further enhanced with basic training facilities and the farm owner/ farm family shall be trained further for competence. In effect, the SPA shall become a “training center in the field” to complement the delivery of training and extension services of the Institute. There shall be three forms of assistance / grants, as follows:

• Financial and Technical Assistance Priority is given to LSA and SPA applicants who relatively need limited financial assistance.
• Technical Assistance Only – may be provided to private farms and agri-processing enterprises that do not need financial assistance or to government institutions (such as LGUs/NGAs/SUCs) as they have their respective government funds.
• Certification Only - provided to applicants who are advanced and financially capable and who simply need to be accredited by the ATI as one of its learning sites.