Canadian Co-operative Association ( CCA ) Request for Proposals Value Chain Assessment Consultancy

Transcription

1 Canadian Co-operative Association ( CCA ) Request for Proposals Value Chain Assessment Consultancy POSITION LOCATION: CONTRACT TERM: REPORTS TO: APPLICATION DEADLINE: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada November, 2016-January, 2017 (TBC) Manager, Programs Friday, October 28, 2016 (end of business day) I. Position: The Canadian Co-operative Association is seeking expressions of interest for a short term consultancy contract to conduct a Gendered Value Chain Assessment for CCA and its implementing partners under the INVEST Co-op program- a new program aimed at increasing wealth and food security through the integrated co-operative business model in Indonesia, Malawi, Mongolia, and Peru. The identified commodities that will be assessed are the following: Indonesia: Seaweed, Milkfish, Shrimp Malawi: Maize, Beans, Ground nuts, Soybeans Mongolia: Sheep wool, camel wool Peru: Coffee, Cocoa II. Background and Context: CCA is a not-for-profit co-operative (co-op) incorporated under the Canada Co-operatives Act, and which operates as a subsidiary of Canada s national association of co-operatives and credit unions, Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC). CCA s vision is a world where individuals and communities thrive economically, culturally, and socially. CCA s mission is to establish and grow cooperatives, credit unions, and community-based organizations to reduce poverty, build sustainable livelihoods, and improve civil society in developing countries. To achieve this mission, CCA works closely with Canadian co-operatives and credit unions to channel their knowledge and experience to partner organizations and co-operatives in Africa, Asia, South America and Eastern Europe. Climate resilience and gender are cross cutting priorities in all of CCA s programs. III. Increasing Wealth and Food Security through the Integrated Co-operative Business Model (INVEST Co-op) Through this project CCA and its partners will strengthen the position of smallholder farmers in agricultural/aquacultural supply chains using an integrated approach to co-operative development that is farmer owned and managed. This approach involves working closely with three types of co-op

2 businesses (producer, marketing/processing, and financial) to meet farmer needs while responding to market demands. Through this approach, men and women farmers will access: low cost, high quality inputs; a range of financial services including credit and insurance; new sales channels through bulk selling; and higher margins through processing, packaging and extending the life of agriculture outputs. The project will introduce key innovations including: (a) climate resilient agricultural practices to increase quality and yield of production; (b) agricultural insurance products to protect women and men smallholder farmers against losses; (c) a focus on the value-chains of the crops produced by women; (d) warehouse receipt systems to allow small holders to build collateral for loans; and (e) extending the model to cover livestock and fisheries. IV. Objective The consultant will conduct a Value Chain assessment of the selected commodities in the four countries of focus in INVEST Co-op to identify the key areas that will enable women and men small holder producers to increase their benefits in the Value Chain. Additionally, the assessment will increase understanding of the influence of gender relations on the roles of different actors and on interactions among actors within and across various nodes of the selected value chains. V. Purpose Within the framework of INVEST Co-op, the outputs of this consultancy will serve as the basis for developing a Value Chain upgrading strategy using the integrated cooperative development model. The study will aid in designing activities to provide more equitable access to opportunities for both women and men and lead to a better integration of gender concerns within the project activities under specific country contexts and targeted commodities. Specifically, the study should pay attention to the following: Identification of all the actors involved in the Value Chain particularly the linkages, roles, value addition Identification of areas or stages in the chain to strengthen downstream/upstream linkages to enable smallholder producers to be able to have a bigger share of the profits Identify gaps or barriers that need to be addressed and overcome to maximize benefits for small farmers, particularly women Cost analysis useful in creating business plans for cooperatives. VI. Expected Outputs The consultant/s are expected to produce individual value chain reports on the following: Seaweed, milkfish and shrimp in South Sulawesi, Indonesia (English) Maize, beans, ground nuts and soybeans in Malawi (English) Sheep wool and camel wool in Mongolia (English) Coffee and cocoa in Peru (Spanish) The consultant/s should pay special attention on the following aspects:

3 Agriculture/aquaculture production and market analysis Identify current agriculture/aquaculture production practices for the commodities considering the varieties used and the farming techniques used to meet the standards of the market. Determine the current and potential demand of the final outputs, the various market destinations and related price trends in order to allow the identification of opportunities and constraints. Brief description of the coverage area s position in the domestic and (if relevant) international market, specify the farm gate prices with international/domestic prices. Explain the major existing quality standards and specify the constraints that exclude the farmers in the coverage area in meeting these standards. Value Chain map and analysis (gendered, economic assessment) Identify gender dimensions of inequality that possibly shape the outcomes for women and men in the VC s (e.g. practices and participation, access to assets, cultural beliefs and perceptions, laws, policies and institutions), and identify potential measures to improve women s conditions, opportunities and benefits to be derived along the chains. Identify and quantify the main actors and other stakeholders (supporters and influencers) and how they are linked and interact in the VC, assess the flow of products and information along the players of the VC Determine the influence of gender relations on the roles of the different actors and on interactions among actors within and across various nodes of the VC s Describe the functions at play within the VC by explaining the industry structure, skills and production technology (by identifying, describing and quantifying the sequence of operations, processing, and marketing) Assess in quantitative terms the value added creation and distribution among the VC actors Socio-economic and gender aspects of the producer profile, specifying the costs of production, farm gate price and income poverty lines Analyze the input and output market and their structure; this includes procurement processes, contractual arrangements, transaction costs, degree of competitiveness, market share, potential lead firms, power structure Policy environment and institutional analysis Analysis of the institutional set-up by identifying and appraising the set of interactions that occur among agents and the formal and informal rules governing them, pay special attention to the cooperative partners of CCA Availability and accessibility of services to producers by support providers, e.g. primary and secondary cooperatives, input providers, traders, banking institutions, commercial extension providers, government agencies Analysis of financial institutions that support farmers and co-ops; access to credit along the chains Determine the degree of organization of producers and the services provided by producer organizations/cooperatives Environment/Climate change analysis Analysis of climate change implications on the VC s, highlighting vulnerability/potential areas of impacts Determine areas for adaptation and mitigation

4 Consider sustainability and food security dimensions The final report should be should be presented in a practical way, easily understood, plain language writing. VC Upgrading Strategies Recommendations for upgrading at the following entry levels: Household/individual level Producer organization/co-operative level/institutional level to determine how co-ops can build capacity in the value-chains Partner level to determine how the partners are committed to build the capacity of both farmers/co-op members in the value-chains Business development service provider level VII. Suggested Methodology A combination of literature review and fieldwork. Desk research that involves looking into the supply and demand side of the commodities from relevant studies, materials, statistics produced by government agencies, research institutions, other donors, and NGOs. Primary data collection intended to gather missing data and validate and/or assess specific situations. Field work will involve identification and interviewing of key actors and other stakeholders, survey to quantify and collect statistics on the number of chain actors, prices, production volumes, employment, technical workshops to validate findings. The data and information gathered will be processed, analyzed and reported to INVEST Co-op partners and CCA. The final version of the report should take into account the feedback from the consultation workshop. VIII. Consultancy Team This call for application is open to national consulting firms and individual consultants with relevant extensive experience. The consultant will be responsible for designing of the methodology, data collection and analysis, report-writing and editing/quality assurance of the report. The consultancy firm must demonstrate full competence in implementing the scope of work with strong expertise and relevant industry background in conducting gender-focused assessments within the agricultural sector, as well as the required technical knowledge and educational experience in value chain analysis with a good understanding of the agricultural/aquaculture sectors and of the selected commodities. The ideal candidate(s) should possess the following qualifications and experience: Possess an advanced university degree in Agriculture, Gender Studies, Agricultural Economics or related subjects. Have at least [7] years of direct practical experience related to gender analysis and participatory methodology, agricultural enterprise development projects and value chains analysis preferably in developing countries context.

5 Diverse understanding and clear knowledge of Commodity Market and Agro Processing with consideration for gender differentiated production processes; Requisite experience in design of gender strategies, value-chains and frameworks for agroallied sector of the economy; Practical experience in the field of gender equality promotion and women s empowerment, export development, enterprise development, and development of enterprise support institutions; At least [5] years of experience in the agriculture sector; substantial industry experience is an asset; Excellent English, written and oral; knowledge of the local language is an asset; VIII. Duration & Timelines The consultancy will be for a period 40 working days. The work should commence by November 2016 and be completed by the end of January The CCA program managers and project managers in each country partner institutions would provide strategic guidance for the task. Inception Report submitted not later than 5 working days after the start of the assignment. The report will outline understanding of the Terms of Reference, overview of methodology, visits, data collection and analysis that are planned, as well as work plan, describing how work will be scheduled and providing milestones for completion of key activities. Draft Final Report submitted not later than 20 working days after the start of the assignment. The report will describe work carried out and results obtained. The consultant will present findings at a stakeholders meeting. Based on feedback from the meeting, the Consultant will provide a final report. Final Report within 5 days after receiving comments on the draft final report. The final report will describe the overall work carried out and results answering to the stated objectives. IX. Payment Schedule 25% upon satisfactory acceptance and approval of the Inception Report 25% upon satisfactory acceptance and approval of the Draft Final Report 50% upon satisfactory acceptance and approval of the Final Report X. Submission of Applications Interested applicants must submit technical and financial consultancy proposals, an updated resume of the research team and a cover letter to: Erin Mackie, Manager of Programs Canadian Co-operative Association cca.apply@coopscanada.coop Deadline for applications is end of business day, Friday, October 28, 2016