Agricultural Consultant (home-gardening)

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT FOR THE CONSULTANT
The aim of this consultancy is to provide technical support to the PUI Food security, livelihoods team in Saida base In South Lebanon to provide a qualitative response to improve food resilience while promoting better nutritional habits and practices for vulnerable households in South.

Given the conflicts in Ein El Helwe camp, the plan is anticipated to implement the micro-gardening activity beyond Ein El Helwe camp area where it could be implemented in Saida city.

SCOPE OF WORK:

General tasks for the Agricultural consultant:
❑ Participate to meetings/workshops organized under this contract with local and/or international stakeholders, or upon the request of PUI for the scope of this intervention.
❑ Frame the geographical areas / activities / target groups / approach in collaboration with the PUI FSL and health/nutrition teams.
❑ Participate in donor’s monitoring visit when requested by PUI FSL and health/nutrition teams.
❑ Support PUI team in developing any visibility and communication materials for the scope of the intervention (brochures, banners, collection of successful stories, etc).

Specific tasks for the Agricultural consultant:
❑ Prepare the design and BOQ of the community garden (demo-plot), that would preferably include vertical farming, hydroponics, and other advanced urban agriculture techniques.
❑ Set up the community garden (demo-plot) and provide technical support, throughout the duration of the project, to the party in charge of maintaining the garden and producing quality crops;
❑ Prepare the curriculum of the training on home-gardening to be delivered to the beneficiaries of the project as well as the manual to be distributed to the trainees as reference for the maintenance of their home gardens;
❑ Provide technical training on home-gardening: delivery of up to 8 training sessions to 20 beneficiaries. Beneficiaries will be formed from 2 to 3 groups from 6 to 10 participants each.
❑ Produce recorded sessions in a video format about the topics delivered during the training, to be shared with trainees for future reference.
❑ Provide the Pre/post test questions and the qualitative analysis of the results about the topic(s) delivered.
❑ Prepare / develop the assessment form, assess the 20 households and produce a BOQ for each household depending on their need regarding the establishment of the micro-gardening space; the BOQ will include the material to build the gardening space and the list of seeds, seedlings, small trees, fertilizers and pesticides required, focusing on the nutritious aspect of the crops.
❑ Report on daily basis to the FSL PM on attendance and progress, highlight challenges and suggest solutions;
❑ Report any concerns on quality implementation immediately; Support the quality check during the procurement stage of the material/inputs at the providers and suppliers;
❑ Organize and conduct at least 3 household visits to each beneficiary to provide practical solutions and support with the correct establishment of the home-gardening activity;
❑ Provide remote technical support through active participation in communication platforms aiming for exchange of knowledge between home-gardeners themselves and between the home-gardeners and the technical expert(s).

Qualifications needed for the Agricultural consultant:
❑ Language skills: Arabic, English (spoken and written).
❑ Education degree: master's degree / TECHNICAL PROFILES WITH RELEVANT EXPERIENCE in Agriculture Engineering or Agronomy. Five years of working experience in agriculture related fields (i.e., organic agriculture, permaculture, value chains, hydroponic, and soilless system production, ecology, genetics, biotechnology, crop management and protection and/or other relevant specific fields in agriculture).
❑ Work experience:
❑ Advanced theoretical and practical experience in agriculture;
❑ Good understanding of Lebanese’s agricultural production sector (structure, strengths and challenges) with a focus on small-to-medium farms and home-gardening in SOUTH GOVERNORATES ESPECIALLY IN EIN EL HELWE CAMP AREA.
❑ Experience in training delivery and provision of technical follow up and support to home gardeners in the field;
❑ Experience with NGOs working in socio-economic or humanitarian emergency contexts;
❑ Computer skills: good computer skills, good knowledge of MS Office suite/package.
❑ Experience in working in the camps.
❑ Interests: Work in humanitarian action, social welfare.
❑ Transversal skills:
❑ Conflict resolution skills
❑ Good people skills / ability to engage with a wide variety of actors (farmers, refugee communities, local authorities, NGO etc.)
❑ Good analytical skills
❑ Ability to undertake needs analysis and good record keeping skills.
❑ Excellent communication skills in both Arabic and English.
❑ Ability to take initiative and to deal with challenges
❑ Capacity to work in a multidisciplinary and multicultural team
❑ Well organized, hard worker and fast learner
❑ Respectful, neutral and impartial attitude.

Expected deliverables from agricultural consultant:

Expected Deliverables

Tentative calendar

1-Initial report: context analysis, training methodology, curricula, presentations, handouts/manual, recorded sessions, pre/post-tests, provision of work plan including all activities covered by this consultancy;

1-One month after contract signature

2-Design and BOQ of the community garden followed by a quality check visit of the items needed at the suppliers' shops and report on the visit 

2- September 2023

3-One community garden well-established and functioning

3- September 2023

4-Theoretical and practical training sessions for the FSL staff.

4-October 2023

5-Theoretical and practical training delivery before and during the first planting season

  5-Between October 2023 and Jan. 2024

6-provision of at least 3 household visits to each beneficiary and remote technical support

 6- throughout the duration of the project until April 2023.

7-BOQ of the list of inputs to be distributed to the households, followed by a quality check visit and report 

7- Between August 2023 and early Sept 2023

8-20 home-gardens well-established and functioning

8- No later than February 2024

9-Final report including: Activity report, Evaluation of the trainings delivered, evaluation of the inputs distributed, reports on the executed field visits, overall challenges and recommendations.

9- No later than May 10, 2024

✔ Requirements needed for applying process:
➢ - financial proposal - To fill the attached quote with all required information
➢ - Technical proposal
➢ - Training planning schedules
➢ - Practical follow up planning
➢ - Curriculum Vitae
➢ - reference check up