REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO TRANSLATE AND CONSOLIDATE AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION EXTENSION MATERIAL FOR SELECTED KEY CROPS IN SOMALIA 88 views0 applications

TERMS OF REFERENCE TO TRANSLATE AND CONSOLIDATE AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION EXTENSION MATERIAL FOR SELECTED KEY CROPS IN SOMALIA

1.0 Background

The Somalia Resilience Program (SomReP) is a consortium of seven international NGOs with the aim to enhance the resilience of chronically vulnerable households, communities and systems across Somalia. After severe droughts and famines in the past years, especially the devastating drought of 2011, a sustained commitment grew strong among regional and international actors to build resilience of vulnerable groups in Somalia. In 2012, seven leading INGOs came together simultaneously under World Vision’s regional Securing Africa’s Future initiative to form a resilience consortium for Somalia, known as SomReP. The members of the consortium are: World Vision, Oxfam, DRC, COOPI, CARE, ADRA and ACF.

The goal of SomReP is to increase the resilience of chronically vulnerable Somali people, households, communities and systems to climatic shocks and other related risks in targeted pastoral, agro-pastoral and peri-urban livelihood zones. This because recurrent shocks and stresses in Somalia have continued over the years and often erodes productivity and livelihood assets over time leaving target groups vulnerable. To achieve this SomReP focuses on livelihood inventions to build the adaptive, absorptive, transformative capacities of households and communities for them to withstand shocks and move toward achieving the needed improvement in their wellbeing that leads to them being resilient to shocks.

SomReP targets three livelihood zones: pastoral, agro-pastoral, and peri-urban poor. Pastoral and agro-pastoral are traditional livelihood sectors that are particularly vulnerable and central to Somali household survival. Peri-urban poor is a sub-strata of Somalia’s growing urban population, and these households face particular livelihood vulnerability given their high propensity to be internally displaced households, female-headed households, or youth with few employment prospects.

2.0 Current Status

To date the consortium has received grants from DANIDA, SIDA, Ausaid/DFAT, CHF, Food For Peace, USAID, SDC and lately from EU with implementation completed in some districts and on-going many districts across Somalia covering interventions in the 3 target sectors of agro-pastoral, pastoral and peri-urban.

From community entry using Community Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) process and baseline surveys, it confirmed that the recurrent drought and erratic rain in target areas impairs crop and livestock production and other livelihoods activities across many parts of Somalia among other factors. Therefore, poor crop production under irrigation and rai-fed featured high in some of the community consultation and CVA meetings and baseline survey. The following came out as some of the factors limiting crop production: poor irrigation infrastructure, poor/erratic seasonal rainfall, drought, using unimproved crop seed varieties, lack of access to crop seed, unorganized farmers, poor agronomic practices and poor soil fertility, crop pests/disease, invasive weeds, high post-harvest losses and lack of appropriate storage structures and poor access to markets.

Therefore, improving crop production for food and income (market access) is one of the key interventions supported across the consortium including under the EU funded Bay and Lower Shebelle Resilience and Social Protection Program. The common crops grown/supported include cereals (maize and sorghum), legumes (cowpea & sesame), vegetables (tomato, watermelon and onion) and fruits (lemon, grapefruits and bananas) that are used for home consumption and marketing for cash. The major component of this is in South Central Somalia, which traditionally is an agriculture area.

To achieve this, training on crop specific good agricultural practices (GAP) (land preparation, soil/water conservation, soil fertility improvement (organic/inorganic), seed rate, row spacing, plant spacing, early planting, weeding, timely harvest and proper storage) was provided to farmers. Due to limited/lack of trained agriculture extension personnel in Somalia, SomRep strategy was first to train frontline facilitators with no agricultural skills intensively on GAP who in turn went to train farmers through demonstration plots, one on one visits and also Farmer field schools using developed/organized agricultural extensions material. To date we have draft notes on GAP on selected crops developed over the years from interactions with farmers and also other agricultural institutions in Somalia and neighboring countries which are used to train staff and farmers. These have been instrumental in helping facilitators to establish many demonstrations plots, farmer field schools, farmer groups and farmer associations which support crop production and marketing.

3.0 The need for Consolidated Agriculture Extension Material on Selected Key Crops

The consortium developed draft agricultural extension material which are branded as Guidance notes on Good Agricultural Practices under the consortium. These are in English and some not fully completed. The use of these is limited to those who can understand English which limits their usability among those with limited English skills and also among Agricultural Volunteers. Hence the need to have the extension material put in a form that can used by all stakeholders regardless of their language skills.

Objective

To review, refine, consolidate and translate into Somalia with illustrations the draft Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for selected crops and accompanying agricultural practices and have them well documented/organized into a booklet for use by agricultural field staff and farmers/volunteers

Specific Task to be done

• Review available Guidance Notes on 11 Key crops, and 4 extension approaches used to support crop production and post-harvest activities
• Finalize remaining Guidance notes on 4 topics
• Refine the Guidance notes to ensure they are technically sound taking into account recent technology development in this field
• Summarize the Guidance notes using concise English and Somalia language
• Translate GN into Somalia
• Provide simple illustration of key steps to guide extension workers or facilitators and farmers/volunteers when using them
• Hold a review workshop with staff to validate GN in Mogadishu/Baidoa
• Include comments into the final version
• Organize GN into a booklet that can be used for reference by extension workers, Agricultural Volunteers and/or farmers in the field.
• Expected Output
• 17 Guidance Notes (Agricultural Extension topics) reviewed and summarized into English
• Illustrations designed and incorporated into relevant Guidance showing stepwise use
• Guidance notes translated into Somalia language
• Validation meeting held in Baidoa of the GN (using summarized Power Point)
• Extension/Guidance Notes manual/booklets developed (English and Somalia)
• Produce bound copy of booklets into two different languages: 80 Somali and 30 English ready for sharing with the agencies, Agriculture Volunteers, government and other stakeholders.
• A Soft copy of the final report on the assignment that will include planning, methodology, delivery and observations made during assignment within 1 week after the assignment
• Soft copies of the developed/refined and translated guidance notes on Good Practices given to SomRep Technical Unit

4.0 Methodology

The consultant will review, refine and document the guidance notes on good agricultural practices (GAP) developed over the years into concise English formats for use by extension workers and/or farmers and agricultural volunteers. This will be followed by translation into Somali language with appropriate designed illustrations to guide users. To achieve this, the consultant will have to consult latest technological development in this field within Somalia and also neighboring countries, consult Ministry of Agriculture, FAO and also SomRep agency technical members. As such this will require, a detailed knowledge and understanding of the agricultural sector in context of Somalia. The selected consultant will prepare a detailed work plan, methodology and share with the SomRep technical team for approval. The final product will copies of the guidance notes in English and Somalia.

5.0 Roles and Responsibilities

World Vision/SomRep Responsibility

· Provide access to all available guidance notes on Good Agricultural practices

· Create linkages with key field staff, Implementing partners and other stakeholders to ensure effective accomplishment of consultant documentation.

· Review report and provide feedback to the consultant to ensure consistency with the SomReP implementation objective.

· Liaise with the implementing partners on behalf of the consultant to plan for a meeting if and when required.

· Provide necessary orientation and training to the consultant.

· Review the refined and translated GAP notes for feedback to the consultant

· Review the draft report and provide feedback to the consultant

· Organize field level validation meetings with agency staff and Ministry of Agriculture

Consultant Responsibility

· Provide inception report

· Review/refine and summarize the GN/Extension material in Somali.

· Translate and through proof-reading the material

· Work closely with Regional Program Coordinator (South), the partners and project staff during the review, refining and translation of the material.

· Share the reviewed/refined and draft translated notes with WV SomRep TU for reviewed

· Incorporate suggested changes into the translation and illustrated extension material

· Perform terminology research in agricultural field and Somalia to ensure accuracy appropriateness of the translation

· Ensure quality and accuracy of the entire document/guidance notes

· Provide Soft copies of the developed/refined and translated guidance notes on Good Practices given to SomRep Technical Unit in the appropriate electronic format.

· Produce bound copy of booklets into two different copies; 70 Somali and 30 English ready for sharing with the government and other stakeholders.

· Provide report on the whole assignment – how it has worked (successes, challenges & recommendations)

6.0 Proposed Time Frame for the consultancy

This should take approximately 1 month as detailed below

7.0 Proposal Content

Proposals from Consultants should include the following information (at a minimum)

· Technical Proposal with clear methodology

· CV of key consultant(s) attached to the technical proposal

· Proposed budget inclusive of all taxes, logistics costs (i.e. flights, ground transport, accommodation etc (if any)) and any other costs that maybe related with this consultancy

8.0 Qualification for the Consultant

· In-depth knowledge of Somalia vulnerability with ability to clearly document to the details fora sharing with the stakeholders.

· Masters/PhD degree in; Agriculture with emphasis on Crop Science. Agricultural Communication skills/experience will also be requires

· Has technically sound experiences in Agriculture in Somalia or areas with similar environment.

· Has extensive experiences in food security and livelihood programing/resilience programing

· Strong written, communication, and interpersonal skills in English and Somali, with substantial conducting documentary review Has a team with Somali-speaking individuals with also expertise and experience in agriculture.

Note:

As part of the Consultant selection process, the best candidates will be requested to prepare draft inception report and make a presentation of the same to the SomReP Technical Team to inform the final decision on award of the Contract.