Consultancy: Complimentary Assessment in Livestock & Poultry Value Chains for Young People in 15 ASAL Counties 10 views0 applications

TERMS OF REFERENCE
TOR for a Complimentary Assessment in Livestock & Poultry Value Chains for Young People in 15 ASAL Counties.
1. About BOMA
BOMA (The BOMA Project) is an NGO focused on ending extreme poverty in Africa’s drylands by empowering vulnerable women, youth, and refugees with economic inclusion programs, enabling them to build small businesses, enhance financial literacy, and increase resilience to crises like climate change, using a data-driven, proven poverty graduation model that creates sustainable livelihoods. They work in multiple African countries, combining technology with community-led approaches to foster entrepreneurship and integrate participants into formal financial systems.

2. About the CASHA Project
Under the Mastercard Foundation–funded CASHA project, FAO and its implementing partners (SNV, BOMA, KLMC, E4Impact, and ILRI) are enhancing livelihood opportunities for young women and men—including persons with disabilities, refugees, and internally displaced persons—across 15 Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) counties in Kenya. CASHA promotes climate-smart, resilient employment through youth-led entrepreneurship, with particular focus on financially disadvantaged young women and those facing displacement.
CASHA aims to target 300,000 financially disadvantaged women and men and create dignified and fulfilling work opportunities for 200,000 financially disadvantaged young people, 80% young women, 10% PWDs, 10% IDPs, and Refugees.

BOMA is responsible for supporting vulnerable young women and men—80% women, ages 18–35—to enter livestock and poultry value chains through pathways, including foundational business skills, life skills, coaching, and early-stage business start-up.

3. About the Assessment
CASHA is currently conducting market scans and private sector profiling for Livestock, poultry, and alternative value chains across 15 target counties. These studies will generate essential system-level insights on value chain structure, private-sector actors, and opportunities for pre-incubation, incubation, and acceleration across the 15 counties.
This follow-up assessment builds on ongoing studies by translating market opportunities into youth-ready, job-specific, localized pathways that are immediately usable in REAP pre-incubation training, coaching, GESI, and Challenge fund preparations.

BOMA is therefore seeking a consultant to: conduct a complementary, human-centered assessment that identifies concrete, low-barrier, dignified jobs and micro-enterprises that young women and men can realistically start within their location market conditions.

4. Objectives of the Assessment
1. Identify and profile youth-feasible entry-level jobs and micro-enterprises within livestock and poultry value chains, including start-up requirements, income potential, skills, seasonality, gender considerations, risks, and dignity indicators.
2. Conduct a rapid, indicative cost–benefit (unit economics) analysis for selected priority livestock and poultry business models identified, estimating start-up costs, operating costs, revenues, gross margins, and expected profitability under realistic local assumptions (including seasonality and key risks).
3. Generate insights into youth aspirations, perceptions of risk, gender norms, safety considerations, mobility constraints, and the acceptability of different livelihood options.
4. Document real-life, peer-based case studies of youth-led livestock and poultry enterprises to inform training, coaching, and motivation.
5. Provide GESI insights for norm change, agency strengthening, and inclusive livelihood design.

5. Proposed Methodology
A participatory and youth-centered methodology combining desk review, KIIs, FGDs, field observations, case studies, and rapid feasibility analysis and unit-economics analysis for a shortlist of priority models, combining field price checks, stakeholder validation (traders, Agro-vets, aggregators), and scenario testing (best/base/worst case) is preferred.

6. Scope of the Assessment
a. Geographic Scope: The assessment will cover selected sub-counties in Samburu, Isiolo, Laikipia, Kajiado, Makueni, Taita Taveta, Kitui, Turkana, West Pokot, Baringo, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Tana River, and Marsabit.
b. Sector Scope: Entry-level opportunities in livestock value chains (cattle, goats, sheep, camels); poultry value chains (indigenous chicken, broilers, egg production); cross-cutting inputs and services (feed, fodder, animal health, micro-logistics, processing).

7. Proposed Duration: 5-6 weeks.

8. Ethical Considerations & Data Protection
• All assessment activities will be conducted in line with BOMA’s data protection, safeguarding, and ethical research policies.
• Participation will be voluntary and based on informed consent, with participants clearly informed about the purpose of the assessment and the use of their information.
• Special care will be taken when engaging young women, refugees, and other vulnerable groups to uphold do-no-harm principles, safety, and dignity. Personal data will be collected only where necessary, securely stored, and accessible only to authorized personnel.
• Data will be anonymized during analysis and reported in aggregate form to prevent identification of individuals, in accordance with BOMA’s data protection and confidentiality requirements.

9. Expected Deliverables: The following are the key deliverables for this assignment:
1. Inception Report: An inception report (maximum 10 pages) detailing the proposed methodology and analytical approach, including the document review checklist, data collection tools, schedule of activities, and a detailed work plan aligned to the objectives.
2. Youth Livestock and Poultry Job & Micro-Enterprise Opportunity Profiles: A set of clearly structured and evidence-based profiles identifying youth-feasible entry-level jobs and micro-enterprises within livestock and poultry value chains.
Each profile will detail start-up requirements, income potential, tasks and skills, seasonality, gender considerations, key risks, and dignity indicators.
The profiles will be directly usable for training, coaching, and enterprise support.
3. Youth Aspirations, Risk, and Livelihood Acceptability Insights Brief: A concise analytical brief synthesising findings on youth aspirations, perceptions of risk, gender norms, safety considerations, mobility constraints, and the social acceptability of different livestock and poultry livelihood options.
The brief will inform youth-responsive and context-appropriate designs.
4. Youth-Led Livestock and Poultry Enterprise Case Studies: A set of documented real-life case studies of youth-led livestock and poultry enterprises, highlighting entry pathways, challenges, coping strategies, and success factors.
The case studies will be suitable for use in training materials, coaching sessions, and youth motivation.
5. GESI and Inclusive Livelihood Design Recommendations: A focused set of practical GESI recommendations to support norm change, strengthen youth and women’s agency, and promote inclusive, safe, and dignified participation in livestock and poultry value chains.
Recommendations will be actionable for adaptive management.
6. Validation Workshop Presentation: A PowerPoint presentation highlighting key findings, priority youth job and enterprise opportunities, GESI insights, and recommendations, presented to BOMA and CASHA project teams and stakeholders for review and validation.
7. Final Assessment Report: A final consolidated report incorporating feedback from the validation workshop, presenting summarised findings and key recommendations. The final report shall be submitted in both PDF and Word formats
8. Rapid Unit Economics & Cost–Benefit Annex: A practical annex covering a shortlist of priority models with simple cost–revenue tables, assumptions, break-even estimates, payback period, and sensitivity to key variables (prices, mortality/disease loss, feed costs, transport).

10. Qualifications: The consultant or consultancy firm should meet the following minimum requirements:
• A master’s degree in economics, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Livestock Production, Development Studies, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of experience in livestock and/or poultry value chain analysis, youth livelihoods, and market-based development in ASAL or similar fragile contexts.
• Demonstrated experience conducting participatory, user-centred (or Human Centered Design) qualitative and mixed-methods assessments, including KIIs, FGDs, case studies, and field observations.
• Proven ability to integrate gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) considerations into livelihood and value chain assessments, particularly for young women and marginalised groups.
• Familiarity with Kenya’s ASAL contexts, pastoral and agropastoral livelihoods, and climate-related risks affecting livestock and poultry enterprises.
• Strong analytical, reporting, and presentation skills.

11. Evaluation Criteria
• Understanding of ToR and methodology – 30%
• Relevant experience in livestock/poultry and youth livelihoods – 25%
• GESI and youth-centred expertise – 15%
• Team qualifications – 15%
• Financial proposal – 15%
Technical evaluation will cover understanding of the ToR and methodology, relevant experience, GESI and youth-centred expertise, and team qualifications. Only proposals scoring at least 70% on the technical evaluation will be considered for financial evaluation.