Two scientists working in a greenhouse. Two scientists working in a greenhouse.

Request for Proposals: Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources Scientific Workforce Landscape Analysis

Open Opportunity

RFP Contact

Dr. LaKisha Odom
lodom@foundationfar.org

Accepting applications until contract awarded

About the Landscape Analysis Request for Proposals

FFAR seeks a researcher to conduct a scientific literature review and landscape analysis to provide an understanding of the scope and scale of the challenges and opportunities in the food, agriculture and natural resources scientific workforce.

The researcher will initiate an exploration of existing literature through a meta-analysis of existing data on the agricultural scientific workforce. This analysis will include peer reviewed journals, career reports, workforce reports, and other documents such as trade journals and/or reports from professional societies. The researcher will potentially develop survey materials and conduct targeted interviews of key stakeholders from industry, academia, NGOs and state and federal governments to provide a comprehensive review of the current United States food, agriculture and natural resources scientific workforce. The researcher will provide recommendations for areas of potential impact that will be used to inform future research programs and/or consortia.

Read the full RFP description and requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the scope of work?

The objective of this short-term research agreement is to conduct a literature review and landscape analysis of the relevant workforce literature and develop a landscape analysis on the state of agriculture/natural resources scientific workforce. This work may be used to inform future FFAR and consortia workforce programming. FFAR seeks an experienced scientist or research organization with demonstrated expertise in scientific workforce training and development.

The selected partner should have proven experience in conducting a comprehensive landscape analysis of sector workforce demographics, assessing current capacities and gaps, and identifying future trends that will shape the scientific workforce.

What are the expected deliverables?

Expected work products and deliverables include:

  1. Standalone external-facing executive summary of findings (2-4 pages).
  2. Cross-project comparison master spreadsheet with all compiled data.
  3. Slide deck presentation of preliminary findings.
  4. Methodology Report (4- page maximum).
  5. Landscape Analysis Final report (12-page maximum plus data reports).
  6. Focused stakeholder interviews and summary reports from those interviews.
What is the project timeline?

This is anticipated to be a six-month, part-time contract with a researcher selected by January 2026 and the main deliverable due by July 2026.

What should the proposals include?

Applicants should submit a written proposal which should contain:

  1. Approach description, including proven qualifications of similar work performed in a scientific setting.
  2. Approximate timeline for producing documents to their final form.
  3. Project budget and budget justification.
  4. An applicant profile, including CV, qualifications, and experience with similar efforts.
  5. Other items or information that may assist us in evaluating your proposal (e.g., awards, letters of recommendation, or sample reports).
  6. Advice for FFAR on any other areas, services, or steps toward the stated objectives that are not listed above.
  7. Client references.