LDS PROJECT TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR VALUE IN NEEDS ASSESSMENT IN AMUDAT 197 views0 applications

1. BACKGROUND OF THE IRC ORGANIZATION.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1933. The IRC was registered in Uganda in mid-1998 and currently implements rehabilitation activities in the sectors of Child-Youth Protection and Development, Health, Economic Recovery and Development, and Women Protection and Empowerment as well as contributing to the response to the Southern Sudanese Refugee situation in West Nile region and Lamwo district in northern Uganda. The IRC Uganda has a head office in Kampala, field offices in Kitgum, Moroto, Yumbe and Imvepi under Arua.

Under Economic Recovery and Development sector in Moroto, the IRC is implementing the LDS project in Karamoja specifically Amudat district. The goal of the project is to improve food security and livelihoods through A Multi- Pronged Response in Amudat by July, 2019. The LDS focus to increase production of sufficient quantities and quality food alongside income generating activities.

To meet the LDS goal, IRC organization sets out three workable objectives: improve Agriculture and Livestock management techniques through water management and water for production and Support farmers to manage value chain activities including refining raw products and sell collectively to the potential buyers and consumers within Uganda and abroad. Lastly LDS aims at increasing access to the financial services through income, savings and assets.

Amudat being semi-arid region is one of the most vulnerable climatic risked conditions in Uganda. The region suffers from severe environmental dryness and regional climatic-warming compounding and exacerbating the underlying issues of poverty and food insecurity. Since 2001 there has been an increase in extreme weather patterns in the region resulting in higher frequency of extended dry spells. It is projected that climate variability will continue to manifest itself through extreme weather conditions, affecting crop production, and pasture for livestock and water shortages thereby having a direct negative effect on the pastoralists livelihoods and the entire rural population in the region. Therefore, there must be value chain needs assessment study to give answers to some of these difficult questions.

2. Purpose of the study

The LDS project seeks to hire a consultant or specialist to conduct the “Value Chain Needs Assessment” in Amudat to determine the key value chain packages and its necessary products to be selected by the project with the beneficiaries in Amudat. The value chain needs assessment study should indicate which cereals and livestock value chain products are highly marketable and generate quicker income to the LDS farmers in Amudat.

3. Objectives

The main objective of this assignment is to provide sufficient understanding on the current status and future potential of different agricultural commodities in the project area and do a value chain analysis of at least six prominent agricultural commodities & the value chain identifying specific bottlenecks and opportunities in their respective value chains that can be addressed and leveraged through the project intervention thereby increasing production, income and employment for the rural poor. The specific objectives are as follows:

• Prioritize value chains in the geographical areas within Amudat which have the potential to be developed as commodity specific clusters and shortlist at least six value chains of agricultural commodities that can create a high impact on the income of producers.
• Within the project area Identify major production pockets, growth potential, market trends & competitiveness of selected value chains (supply and demand) including its future prospects within the district and nationally.
• Value chain mapping that depicts the chain actors and their functions & inter relationship.
• Identify and examine constraints and opportunities within the selected value chains and recommend interventions to overcome constraints and make use of opportunities to promote inclusive & sustainable pro poor economic growth and competitiveness.
• Analyse dynamics of processing and value creation, reward distribution, value chain governance and power relation structures and knowledge transfer.
• Identify the underlying policy, institutional, and infrastructural issues that affect the competitiveness of the selected value chains with reference to the role of government and private sector in the Karamoja region. Also develop a matrix indicating areas of priorities for which public sector can intervene and areas for the private sector support.
• Identify institutions and organisations working for selected value chains from national to local levels (local, regional, national organisations from government, NGO and private sector) that can contribute to pro poor value chain development.

4. Expected Outcome of the Assignment

• The consultant firm will furnish a comprehensive value chain analysis report having disaggregated data including following, but not necessarily limited to:
• Detailed analysis of selected value chains with quantitative & qualitative description and the incremental values at each level of the chain.
• Value chain mapping of actors, process stages, monetary flows, governance and power structures, information and knowledge flows from input, production, processing to consumption level.
• Economic analysis, production and market costs and revenues, value additions and profit margin along the chain including income and employment.
• Production pockets area and major market centres identification, growth potential, market trends (supply and demand) including cross-border trade and competitiveness of selected value chain.
• Power Analysis: Power analysis with the value chains to understand forms and causes of exclusion at different levels of the value chains. Power analysis should be carried at least at following levels: Traders and farmers; Land owners and tenant farmers and Farmers and seasonal labourers, women and men, youth and elderly people.
• Identify constraints and opportunities at each stages of value chain and leverage points.
• Recommend areas of interventions to improve the value of products including capacity building requirements for pro poor value chain development.
• Enabling environment (policy/incentives and its implication) with suitable policy advice for project implementation and VC supporting/facilitating organisations &institutions at local /regional/national level (CBOs, cooperatives, government, NGOs and private sector) and their roles.
• List of potential agribusinesses interested to collaborate with the project through contractual arrangements and their contact details including useful policy advice for their involvement at any level of the value chain.
• List of stakeholders consulted and list of References (studies and other literature used)

5. Deliverables

The service provider is expected to deliver the following listed deliverables:

• Inception report: The inception report should cover the methodologies and work plan. The hiring of research team and their training should be completed during the period.
• Draft report and Presentation: Commodity Cluster Report covering 6 Agricultural Commodities and milk value chain report detailing out backward and forward linkages with margins of all the actors in the value chain with recommendations mentioning the bottlenecks, opportunities and key leverage points were the project can intervene for maximising the returns to producers. Also data collected and analyzed, models, diagrams including photographs & contact list of interviewees should be included.
• Final report incorporating the comments from the IRC team.

Key milestones:

The project is expected to be accomplished within 15 days’ duration as laid down below and payments will be made in 3 tranches as indicated:

Output

Number of days allocated

Payment

Inception Report

1 day after signing agreement

10%

Fieldwork

7 days

–

Draft report

4 days

30%

Final report

3 days

60%

6. Study Methodology

The consultant shall employ a number of methods that may comprise literature review and qualitative as well as quantitative research methods, key informant interview, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Participatory Rural

Appraisal (PRA), observation etcetera to gather information at each level of value chain. Primary information and secondary data analysis shall be used.

Participatory tools, techniques and methodologies will be applied in information gathering and verification of the available information. The technical proposal should include the following methodology in detail:

• Literature review and review of secondary information
• Develop survey instrument and conduct survey assessment
• Required number of focused group discussions and interviews with key informants/VC actor.
• Participatory field observations, interviews and consultations at the major market points including producers, traders and relevant stakeholders to collect required information.
• Analyse government policy and regulatory frameworks related to specific value chain development and private sector participation.
• Agribusiness mapping especially their current status in corporate social responsibility, trade volume and sales.
• Roles and responsibilities of each team members including number and person days of the enumerators with their roles and responsibilities.
• Methods and tools to be used based on mutual agreement prior to commencing study.
• The above mentioned list is not limited and the agency may submit other methods commensurate with the industry standards.

7. Qualification and Experience of the consultant

• The consultant should have:

The lead consultant should possess a minimum of Master’s Degree in Agriculture or Agribusiness, Development Studies, Project Planning and Management, Social Sciences or any related field with Management Consulting experience with 5 or more years in conducting value chain analysis and development (VCD). S/He should have proven experience of value chain, sub sector analysis, good understanding of private sector and trade policies including market dynamics in the Karamoja sub-region.

• An excellent understanding of drought risked resistance crops visa vis crop generation in the semi-arid climate.
• Experience in developing baseline survey tools for diverse value chain products.
• At least 5 years of experience in value chain, sub sector analysis, good understanding of private sector and trade policies including market dynamics in Karamoja sub-region.
• Experience in working with various Government organizations and institutions across different parts of Karamoja, or specifically in Amudat district, both as technical resource as well as implementer.
• Experience of working in Karamoja on agricultural value chains with evidence will be a strong asset
• Expertise in designing and executing high quality assessment and knowledge sharing initiatives in the development sector.
• The consultant should have professional staff and technical experts commensurate with the high standards required of this assignment.

8. Duration

The duration of the contract will be 15 days from the date of signing the contract.

9. Locations of the study

Loroo, Amudat and Karita sub counties in Amudat district, Karamoja Region