Agricultural Specialist Consultancy

RCF Phase III:  Strengthening Agricultural Resilience and Incomes

Consultancy Title: Agriculture Specialist

SOW Date: January 28, 2023

Job Class: Professional

Reporting to: Syria Program Director

Approximate Start/End Date: February 8 – March 15, 2023

Level of Effort (Days): 32

To Apply:

To apply, please submit a technical and financial proposal, including a proposed methodology, work plan, description of relevant past experience and CV via NEF’s Career Webpage.   Individual consultants or consultant teams who can cover the full range of required competencies are welcome to apply. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with the initial review beginning February 6, 2023. Interested consultants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Near East Foundation and its affiliates by visiting the NEF website at www.neareast.org.

I. Background

The Near East Foundation (NEF) is seeking consultants for an Agricultural Specialist in Northeast Syria. For over 100 years, NEF has worked to build more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive communities in the Middle East and Africa through education, governance, and economic development initiatives. Working through a network of country offices and local partners, NEF currently operates in eight countries: Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Syria, South Sudan, Sudan. Its programs are organized around three themes: Inclusive Economic Development, Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management, and Peacebuilding.

RCF III: Strengthening Agricultural Resilience and Incomes aims to improve the prosperity and resilience of producers and other agricultural value chain actors in Ar-Raqqa. It will use market-based approaches and a mix of technical and financial assistance designed to reduce barriers to production, income generation, growth, and resilience in the face of climate shocks and stresses.

Using a combination of technical assistance and access to credit, RCF III seeks to improve market-driven production and climate resilience in six key agricultural value chains.

NEF will:

1. Facilitate multi-stakeholder value chain workshops.
2. Mobilize and deliver technical assistance through producer associations, using a training of trainers approach. Technical assistance will include (1) climate smart / conservation agricultural practices; (2) improved inputs and technologies; (3) agribusiness and commercialization strategies.

The RCF III Implementation Team, based in Syria and Jordan, are conducting multi-stakeholder value chain workshops in each key value chain. The consultant will take into account the outcomes of these workshops in the development of training materials and the identification of innovative technologies.

The successful applicant will receive more detailed information on the project approach.

II. Objectives of the Consultancy

NEF envisions the consultant will provide technical and operational support to help RCF III deliver quality and relevant technical assistance, support the project participants’ access to quality inputs and technologies, and identify quality suppliers.

III. Work and Deliverables

Applicants are welcome to propose more than one individual to cover the full range of expertise required. Selected consultant(s) will be expected to coordinate across all components.

The consultant(s) will

1. engage with HQ, Jordan- and Syria-based NEF staff to refine technical assistance training topics and to develop responsive training materials, taking into account the results of the value chain analyses and in line with three key training categories outlined below.
2. work with the RCF III implementation team in Syria and Jordan to develop a cascade training approach and related monitoring and tracking approaches to ensure that all borrowers have timely access quality technical extension;
3. provide capacity building and training to RCF III implementation staff on delivery and tracking of technical assistance;
4. to review and update the available technical-agricultural training materials at NEF/Syria program organized back in 2018-2020;
5. To work closely with the Syria program team to develop the project different loan products SOPs in relation to PHiii project.

Additional detail is provided on each of these tasks below. The scope and plan for delivering these tasks will be further refined through consultations with the RCF III implementation team. In all cases, the consultant will ensure that his contributions add value to the project delivery by the RCF III implementation team, that different related processes work fluently, and that deliverables are completed in a high quality and timely manner.

(A) Curriculum Development & Training Materials (LOE: 22 days)

RCF III will identify specific training topics within each of the key value chains and refine the related training curricula based upon feedback from the value chain workshops. The goal of technical training is to build the skills and competencies of producers in NES to achieve reliable, market-linked production that is sustainable and resilient in the face of climate shocks and stresses field on the status of beneficiaries’ technical knowledge, to identify gaps, and opportunities to narrow the gaps through targeted training.

The consultant will:

• Take into account the results of the value chain workshops, work with the RCF III team to refine and further develop training curricula for lead trainers, with the expectation that they will deliver the curricula to peers using a cascade (training of trainers) approach. The developed curricula will take into account NEF experience with its existing climate-smart agriculture curriculum, reflect the appropriate technical depth, details, and presentation to be practically relevant to producers, and cover the following three topics across relevant value chains:
  • climate smart / conservation agriculture
  • proper use of improved inputs / technologies
  • agribusiness and commercialization strategies
• Work with the RCF III implementation team in Syria and Jordan to develop a cascade training protocol and related monitoring and tracking approaches to ensure that all borrowers have timely access quality technical extension.
• Work with the RCF III Implementation team to ensure that the curriculum, training protocol/approach, and evaluation techniques reflect and contribute to sustainability and localization planning.

Deliverable**:** Provide written training materials, tailored for each target value chain, that are practical, technically appropriate, and accessible to target farmers. For each training topic, the consultant will evaluate and describe best practices through the lens of climate resilience, resource sustainability, and market-linkages and will integrate best practices for locally-appropriate adaptive and climate-smart agricultural approaches into the training materials. The consultant will share draft training materials with the RCF III implementation team and make revisions to reflect their feedback.

Finalized training materials will be provided in Microsoft Word format and PDF format. Training materials should be ready to be printed for use (subject to translation). These materials should include

1. Written training materials related to target value chains and the key technical areas, building on the topics described above and as refined through the value chain workshops. We anticipate materials on the identified training topics will be presented in a training manual that communicates key concepts through images/photographs, graphics, and accessible and fairly limited text.
2. Delivery guidelines to trainers on how to conduct the training for lead farmers and to support effective cascade training to peer farmers.
3. Evaluation strategies and tools (e.g. pre- and post-test questionnaires) to measure the change in knowledge after completion of the technical training.

Deliverable**:** A brief report that details the training provided, any identified challenges/solutions, lessons learned, and recommendations for further capacity building. The final report will be delivered in Microsoft Word format.

(B) Catalog innovative technologies at the water-food-energy nexus (LOE: 8 days)

Catalog innovative technologies at the water-food-energy nexus that are applicable to six key value chains. Methods for identification should include, e.g., desk review of relevant technical documents, market surveys, consultations with key informants (RCF III staff, private sector, and others)). The consultant will engage with RCF III Implementation team and identify opportunities to integrate innovative technology to improve climate resilience, sustainability (including reduced waste), and profitability in each value chain, informed by value chain workshops. The consultant(s) will

• work with the RCF III implementation team in Syria and Jordan to support landscape analysis and to identify appropriate technologies in support of climate-smart and conservation agriculture, using information available to them based on experience, networks, desk research, key informant interviews, market analyses, etc. NEF staff in Syria will provide support for targeted information collection.
• Catalog innovative technologies (and related service providers, where available) that are appropriate to local conditions and can be adopted to improve the resilience and performance of target value chains
• Identify existing, functional, and reliable technology/service providers in target communities

Deliverable: Provide a written Technical Innovation Report that identifies: (a) reliable suppliers of inputs, equipment, and services in the target communities; (b) innovative technologies; and (c) key recommendations for specific technologies by value chain, including top-level guidance to inform return on investment calculations and site selection criteria for each recommended technology.

(C) Capacity Strengthening (LOE: 2 days)

The consultant will support RCF III implementation staff in Jordan and Syria with training (in-person or video acceptable) on

• Curricula and technical assistance related to climate smart and conservation agriculture
• key innovations to support climate resilience in the agricultural sector and opportunities to improve value chain functions

Deliverable**:** Provide training to cover all curricula and innovations.

IV. Schedule of Deliverables / Milestones

NEF envisages the assignment to require approximately 32 days’ level of effort. The consultant should submit a proposed schedule of deliverables for the assignment. Please see an indicative timeline below.

V. Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Agriculture or related specialty.
• Minimum seven years of experience in Agricultural development and training with good knowledge of agricultural systems and operations in Syria.
• Demonstrated expertise in climate-smart and conservation agriculture in the MENA region, with preference for individuals demonstrating expertise related to key value chains in northern Syria.
• Demonstrated expertise in the application of innovative technologies to improve production and value chain functions in the MENA region, with preference for individuals demonstrating expertise related to key value chains specifically in northern Syria.
• Attention to detail, strong analytical skills with a demonstrated ability to analyze needs and respond within the project mandate.
• Experience in developing instructional materials, procedural documentation and presentations.
• Excellent communications skills (verbal, written, presentation, interpersonal), Arabic skills strongly preferred.
• Proven track record in similar assignments.

Indicative Deliverable/Milestone Timeline: Please view here