The SEAMEO Regional Centre for Tropical Biology (BIOTROP) invites primary and secondary school teachers in Indonesia to submit action research proposals focused on Enhancing Student Literacy and Nutrition through School Garden for implementation n 2017.

In Western countries, a significant amount of research works have been made on the academic, health, and other social benefits of a school garden to the students as well as to the community surrounding the school. In general, such studies say that students involved in school gardens generally enjoy learning and show positive attitudes towards education, tend to eat more fruits and vegetables and continue healthy eating habits through adulthood, and have increased self-understanding, interpersonal skills, and cooperative skills when compared to non-gardening students (http://gardens.slowfoodusa.org/contents/sdownload/3591/file/Benefits-of-School-Gardens-Denver-Urban-Gardens.pdf).

Could such findings be the same in Indonesia?

Objectives of the Grant
In general, the research grant aims to improve the literacy, nutrition, and entrepreneurial skills of secondary and primary students in Indonesia through school gardens. The specific objectives are as follows:

1. To establish empirical data and best practices on the benefits of school garden in improving the literacy, nutrition, and entrepreneurial skills of secondary and primary school students in Indonesia.
2. To enhance the capacities of secondary and primary school teachers in Indonesia in conducting action research
3. To generate learning and promotional materials on the benefits of school gardens based on the research results of the grantees

Who are eligible to apply for the grant?
All primary and secondary school teachers in Indonesia who have permanent appointments in their respective schools can apply for the grant. The applicant can either be an individual teacher or a group of teachers who have been teaching for at least three years. Equal opportunities shall be given to male and female teachers.

Application requirements:

1. Application Letter from the proponent(s)
2. Recommendation letter from school principal
3.  Curriculum vitae of the proponent(s) (maximum of 3 pages)
4. Action Research Proposal which have the following components:
• Title (The title of the project must be clear, concise, and attractive to generate interest/participation from all actors that are expected to be involved in the implementation of the project)
• Background/Rationale (This section should clearly specify the issues and concerns that the project would like to address. Why is it important to undertake the project? Who will benefit and how?)
• Objectives (The objectives must be concrete enough against which the project’s success or failure can be assessed)
• Review of Related Literature (This must situate the proposal on the current body of knowledge on the subject of the research. Related literature to be cited in the proposal must not be older than 5 years)
• Components and Methodologies (This section must answer how the project objectives can be achieved with the components and methodologies that the project would adopt. It should also specify the partners that would be involved in the implementation of the project, if any)
• Timetable of Activity Implementation (This would specify the activities to be undertaken and the allocated time within a 10-month duration)
• Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (This section should specify the way the progress of the project would be assessed according to its objective and timeframe by component, and including the people who will be involved)
• Expected Outputs and Outcomes (This section should enumerate the concrete/tangible outputs and outcomes that the project is expected to produce  in relation to its objectives)
• Estimated Budgetary Requirements (The budget must include personnel services, travel, materials, equipment and facilities rentals)
5. All documents could either be in Bahasa Indonesia or English.
6. Applicants should send the complete set of application documents to:
   
   Dr. Jesus C. Fernandez
   Deputy Director for Programme and Marketing
   SEAMEO BIOTROP
   Jln. Tajur Raya Km 6, Bogor 16134, Indonesia
   Email: j.fernandez@biotrop.org
   Fax: +62-251-8326851
   Telp: 0251-8323848

Implementation Scheme:

1. All research proposals shall be screened by BIOTROP for shortlisting. All shortlisted proposals shall be subjected to external expert review process. The proposal could either cover the three aspects (i.e., literacy, nutrition and entrepreneurship) or could only focus on any of these aspects.
2. BIOTROP shall select 10 best proposals based on the results of the external expert review process. The proponents of the selected proposals shall be required to present their proposals during a seminar in BIOTROP sometime in January 2017.
3. Depending on the nature and scope of the proposals, BIOTROP shall award a maximum of Rp10,000,000 grant to each selected proposal.
4. The grantee(s) will sign a contract with SEAMEO BIOTROP specifying his/her duties and responsibilities and expected outputs within the duration of the grant.

Deadline of Application:
All applicants are advised to submit all application requirements on or before 29 July 2016.