Near East Foundation is hiring an
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:
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
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:
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
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
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
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
Indicative Deliverable/Milestone Timeline: Please view here