Scope of Work
Position: International Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Specialist
Reporting: DCOP
Start Date: August 22, 2022
Duration: 20 days (LOE)
AMP Project Description:
The Agriculture Marketing Program (AMP) is a three-year USAID-funded program that follows on the successes of the ten-year USAID Commercial Horticulture and Agricultural Marketing Program (CHAMP). The program works in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan, focusing on increasing farm production and domestic sales through interventions aimed at farmers and Agribusinesses. During the first two years of the program, AMP worked with leading Afghan processing and marketing firms to increase production volumes and values, introduce new agricultural products to the market, diversify markets and increase value-added processing. The program’s market-based, demand-driven approach focused on supporting private sector growth and sustainability, thereby creating demand for agricultural products that drive job growth in rural areas. Women are incorporated into all areas of program implementation.
In its final fiscal year of implementation, AMP has pivoted to an approach that addresses food security challenges precipitated by the emerging economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. This approach comprises three key strategies:
1. Connecting Farmers to Domestic Markets
2. Increasing Value-Add of Agriculture Products, Extending Shelf Life of Products
3. Support for Remote Rural Areas
Activities include:
· Increasing farm productivity and food security through Farmer Field Schools and other activities aimed at building farm capacity.
· Expanding the number of agricultural products through value addition and product diversification, such as processed jams and sulfur dried apricots.
· Linking farmers with traders and traders with buyers in domestic markets, such as through domestic food expos and B2B meetings.
· Building the capacity of Agribusinesses to maximize output and quality for domestic markets.
· Supporting initiatives such as improved post-harvest handling infrastructure for traders, including packing houses, cold storage, and improved packaging.
· Addressing important supply chain and trade impediments that restrict the sale of high value agriculture products.
· Providing opportunities for female-owned food processing and import suppliers through market facilitation and activities aimed at business support.
AMP works primarily with private sector Agribusinesses, farm producers and other USAID-funded agricultural programs. Specific attention is given to support the participation of women and youth in AMP activities.
Description of Role
Background
AMP has changed the program’s focus to target domestic market activities, increase staple crop production and improving livelihoods of the people of Afghanistan. AMP is looking for ways to utilize Climate Smart Agriculture techniques to support these interventions.
With projections pointing to unprecedented levels of food insecurity and continuing climate volatility, work needs to be carried out to improve food security and supply to meet shortfalls. Afghanistan needs to increase its food security in the coming years. AMP is positioned to support farmers directly and by working with agribusinesses and input suppliers to give the farmers the right information, variety selection, tools, and post-harvest handling advice to expand staple crops, promote off-season supply and expand models for contract farming.
Purpose
The Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) STTA will be responsible for assessing opportunities and designing strategies to promote climate smart innovations that increase the agri-food value chain actors’ resilience and adaptive capacity, foster eco-efficient practices, while reducing businesses’ footprint on the environment.
The consultant will identify opportunities in Afghanistan’s agriculture and horticulture market system to assist farmers and businesses to enhance resilience and increase productivity while dealing with volatile climatic conditions. The opportunities should also pursue methods that also reduce emission.
Objectives
Provide technical guidance/recommendations and support for the development, implementation, and piloting of Climate Smart Agriculture technologies across various regions of Afghanistan with interventions in broadacre crops, horticulture, and irrigation.
Scope of Work
The International Climate Smart Agriculture Specialist will specifically undertake the following tasks:
· Undertake assessment of CSA capacity building gaps among extension services, farmer organizations, farmers, and other private sector stakeholders.
1st payment installment provides:
o Based on opportunities identified give evidence-based knowledge products on climate-smart technologies and practices in supported inclusive business models, including investments and return on investment (ROI) scenarios for the specific opportunities identified.
o Develop the structure and identify the main CSA directions for the analysis of the agricultural sector in Afghanistan for further development with the assistance of a national expert.
2nd installment to be based on:
o Will the analyses carried out with national expert in Afghanistan, develop a general regional analysis of the agricultural sector to identify potential goals and objectives of the Program.
o Develop interventions for 5 identified crops/cropping systems
3rd installment:
o Consultant’s report summarizing completed remote work with recommendation for future climate smart agriculture interventions.
Proposed Level of EffortThe consultant will be allotted an initial 20 days of level of effort (LOE) between 22 August 2022 and 30th September 2022, with the option to be extended.
ReportingThe International Climate Smart Agriculture Specialist will report to the Deputy Chief of Party
Required Qualifications
The International Climate Smart Agriculture Specialist should manifest the following attributes:
1. Master’s Degree in agriculture, agronomy, agriculture economics, or similar from an accredited college or university.
2. At least five years of implementing climate smart agriculture practices for both the irrigation and dryland smallholder farmer.
3. Experienced in the market systems development approach.
4. Experience with climate change adaptation in the agriculture sector.
5. Highly preferably, knowledge of Afghanistan, Central Asia, or similar climatic conditions, agronomic knowledge of broad acre and horticultural crop production.
6. Spoken and written fluency in English; other languages beneficial.
Location
Work will be undertaken remotely
Roots of Peace works in war-torn countries around the world to remove the remnants of war and restore the land to rebuild peaceful communities for generations to come. The organization’s methodology is rooted in a philosophy of providing market-driven solutions tailored to rural communities in war-torn lands, serving as a catalyst for industry-wide development. This approach has impacted over one million farmers and families. With the help of Roots of Peace, farmers are addressing key challenges to increased income by applying modern technology and farming techniques in Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Croatia and Vietnam.
In Afghanistan, Roots of Peace has facilitated the export of $445 million in fresh and dried fruits, nuts, and spices to new and existing overseas markets, provided training for nearly 200,000 Afghan farmers in a wide variety of horticultural skills, provided more than $100 million in machinery grants and created 14,500 full-time jobs in all areas of farm production and export. Roots of Peace is currently implementing the USAID-funded Agriculture Marketing Program (AMP) and the INL-funded Community Based Agriculture and Rural Development (CBARD) in Afghanistan.
