Consultant to conduct a comprehensive mapping of laws, policies, strategies related to gender issues in the agriculture sector

1. General Information

Justice without Frontiers (JWF), a dynamic active local non-governmental juristic organization founded in Beirut in 2005, is deeply committed to championing human rights, justice, democracy, peace, and the rule of law. Over the last decade, JWF's impactful work has addressed crucial initiatives, from addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (S/GBV) to empowering women's access to justice, advocating for marginalized individuals, combating human trafficking, and more.

2. Brief Information of the Project

Empowering women and strengthening the resilience of vulnerable rural and urban communities in South Lebanon and Beirut is a three-year program implemented by a consortium of 3 NGOs, Justice without Frontiers, SHEILD, and JAFRA, led by Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and funded by the German Feder Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This program aims to strengthen women's livelihoods and increase the resilience of vulnerable communities engaged in smallholder and subsistence agriculture. Justice without Frontiers’ role in this program is to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed into all project activities, provide tailored training for women in leadership skills and business development, provide legal support, and conduct gender analysis.

3. Request:

JWF is seeking a qualified consultant to conduct a comprehensive mapping of laws, policies, strategies, gender issues, the role of women and children in agriculture, the impact of war on agriculture, post-conflict recovery, and the legal framework governing Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), startups, and cooperatives in the agriculture sector.

4. Context:

The main objective of this mapping is to identify the opportunities and challenges in ensuring women's participation in economic life and their involvement in decision-making through assessing existing laws, policies, strategies, such as the labor law and strategies related to gender equality, agriculture, and women’s empowerment. The goal is to develop a clear recommendation that can support in advocacy campaigns.

5. Scope of work and deliverables

The consultant is expected to provide the following:

• Review existing national legal frameworks, policies, strategies, and action plans related to agriculture.
• Map out laws and policies related to the agriculture sector, gender in agriculture (women, children), Impact of war and post-conflict recovery on agriculture, MSMEs, startups, and cooperatives in agriculture.

• Analyze the gender in agriculture, focusing on women's and children’s roles and challenges.
• Analyze the impact of conflict and post-conflict recovery on the agriculture sector.
• Assess the legal and policy environment for MSMEs, startups, and cooperatives in agriculture.
• Identify and engage with key stakeholders in the agriculture sector, including government ministries, NGOs, farmers, women and children's groups, MSMEs, startups, and cooperatives.
• Conduct KIIs with key stakeholders, farmers, women, and representatives from MSMEs, startups, and cooperatives to discuss their experiences, needs, and recommendations to gather detailed insights on the current legal and policy situation, and focus Group Discussion (FGD) if needed
• Analyze the gathered data, identifying key gaps and challenges in the current agricultural legal framework.
• Provide actionable, evidence-based recommendations for improving laws, policies, and strategies to better serve the agricultural community, with a focus on gender sensitivity.

The final report should include:

• A detailed mapping of laws, policies, and strategies.
• An analysis of the findings from the KIIs and FGDs.
• A set of recommendations for policy reform and development.

6. Skills and Experience required:

The consultant should have the following qualifications:

•  Experience in legal and policy analysis.
• Strong understanding of Laws, policies, gender issues, and post-conflict recovery.
• Familiarity with the legal frameworks surrounding MSMEs, startups, and cooperatives in agriculture.
• Experience conducting qualitative research, including (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs).
• Excellent writing and reporting skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to engage with diverse stakeholders.

7. Deliverables, Timeline and availability to start 

The consultant is expected to deliver the following:

• Inception Report: outlining the methodology, data collection tools, and work plan (within 7 days of contract signing).
• Draft Report: including findings, mapping, and recommendations (within 3 weeks of the start of the mapping).
• Final Report: with a detailed analysis and recommendations, incorporating feedback from stakeholders (within 1 week of receiving comments on the draft report).
• Availability to start: 14/04/2025