Consultant for Development of a Training Curriculum and Content - Good Agricultural Practices for Vegetables and Fruit Trees

Background

Mada Association is seeking a qualified Consultant to work on the development of material including the curriculum, content, and pre and post-tests – for a training on good agricultural practices for vegetables and fruit trees’ cultivations targeting farmers. This mission sits under the BMZ-funded project ‘Strengthening the resilience of Syrian refugees and Lebanese host communities in northern Lebanon to the consequences of the country's socio-economic crises by promoting food and income security, rehabilitation of water-related and agricultural infrastructure, trainings, initial provision of households’, implemented by Mada Association in partnership with arche noVa.

The project targets Lebanese and Syrian farmers through direct support, namely distribution of kits, capacity building and training focused on enterprise development, and support to build and/or enhance professional capacity, promoting sustainable farming methods, addressing challenges in the agricultural sector including integration into the formal market.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

The Consultant will be responsible for:

• Preparing a training curriculum in English, including a clear outline of the training sessions clarifying the divisions of chapters with the timing needed for the delivery of each of the topics per chapter. The curriculum should include the objectives per session, training methodology, learning activities, material and equipment needed by the trainer. The curriculum must include the topics mentioned below.
• Once the curriculum is approved by Mada, the consultant will proceed to develop the curriculum content in the form of PowerPoint presentations in Arabic, in line with the approved curriculum. These  presentations will correspond to 10 training sessions, with each session spanning a duration of 3 hours, resulting in a cumulative training time of 30 hours. Conciseness and clarity in delivering content  must be enhanced with the inclusion of visual aids such as photographs, charts, infographics and  references in the form of hyperlinks. The language used should be concise and easily understandable by farmers, avoiding complex terminology. The inclusion of realistic and real-word examples that resonate with farmers, hence demonstrating practical applicability, is crucial.
• Prepare pre and post-tests and their corresponding answers in Arabic, not exceeding 20 questions (both multiple choices open questions)
• The Consultant will be asked to attend and lead on an introductory information session that will be delivered to the trainers, who will be selected at later stage to deliver the training.

The training will consist of 10 sessions, of which 6 are theoretical and 4 practical, including but not limited to the topics below:

1. Soil preparation and fertility management for vegetable and fruit tree cultivation (theoretical session)
2. Seed selection (i.e. seeds varieties, rootstock, scion selection, etc.), planting and transplanting techniques (theoretical session)
3. Crop rotation and intercropping techniques (theoretical session)
4. Irrigation and water management practices (practical session)
5. Nutrient management and fertilization techniques (practical session)
6. Disease and pest identification for vegetables and fruit trees (practical session)
7. Integrated Pest management Strategies for vegetables and fruit trees (theoretical session)
8. Pruning and training methods for fruit trees (practical session)
9. Harvest and post-harvest handling practices (theoretical session)
10. Sustainable farming practices and environmental considerations (theoretical session)

Mada will review the deliverables and provide comments and feedback, after which the Consultant will be requested to submit final revised and adjusted versions. The Consultant will be expected to be responsive to Mada’s revision and back and forth may be required to finalize the required documents. 

Minimum Qualification and Experience

• Advanced degree in plant production and plant protection or relevant fields
• Experience working with farmers
• Experience in developing similar material
• Research skills, and reporting
• Time management, good organizational skills, ability to be flexible
• Excellent writing and Microsoft PowerPoint skills
• Experience working with NGOs on development projects is a plus
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills 
• Fluency in spoken and written in Arabic and English