Local Consultant

1. Objective

During the past 4 years, amid the escalating local crisis, land and its cultivation have become a driving force for the Lebanese people. Supporting small-scale agricultural producers and processors becomes essential to address food security and environmental protection challenges in Lebanon. Tarik Akhdar project focuses on supporting the agricultural and agri-food sector in transitioning towards ecological and social sustainability. The overarching goal of Tarik Akhdar is to offer integrated support to production and transformation units (producers, producer cooperatives, entrepreneurs, etc.) combining technical assistance and access to financing.

Co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), the Regional Council of Île-de-France (CRIF), the ACTES Foundation, and the Drosos Foundation, Tarik Akhdar project is implemented by a consortium of partners comprising ADIE, SIDI, Fair Trade Lebanon (FTL), Fair Trade & Tourism Lebanon (FTTL), and Al Majmoua.

FTL is seeking a national consultant to conduct a comparative analysis of different tools utilized for agroecological diagnostics in order to determine the most suitable tool for use within the project. Subsequently, the consultant will carry out a literature review aimed at gathering specific insights into the Lebanese agricultural sector and the value chains supported by Tarik Akhdar project. The primary purpose of this review is to enhance the examples of agroecological practices and customize the tool to the beneficiaries of Tarik Akhdar, including agricultural producers and transformation units (cooperatives or SMEs).

This review will cover the already existing tools for the analysis of agroecological practices such as TAPE[1] and B-ACT[2], with a special emphasis on the agroecological analysis grid developed by SIDI in partnership with the consulting firm Salva Terra[3].

Following this step, the consultant will conduct training sessions – in coordination with SIDI and, when needed, Salva Terra – for the project team members, laying the essential groundwork for the analysis. The objective is to enable the Lebanese partners to autonomously carry out data collection from production units. The consultant may accompany the field officers in the field to carry out the agroecological grid to support the implementation of a practical case. A debriefing meeting will be organized by the consultant to offer guidance and recommendations, ensuring a comprehensive understanding and effective adoption of the analysis grid.

2. Estimated duration of the mission and schedule

Desired Period: Before the end of June 2024 and should include the following:

• Literature review (tool selection)
• Tool adaptation to Tarik Akhdar beneficiaries and the local context
• Training (preparation and implementation)
• Practical case study
• Debriefing on the practical case study data

3. Deliverables

• Adapted agroecological tool
  • Supplementary readings/materials for personal study to complement the training
• Training materials:
  • Presented during the training: PowerPoint presentations, documents, videos, or any other relevant material
• Analysis of an agroecological grid carried out in Lebanon

4. Qualifications

The project partners are looking for:

1. A consultant with expertise in the themes of agro-ecological analysis.
2. Good knowledge of the Lebanese context and language.
3. Good knowledge of the agricultural sector and value chains

5. Skills

He or she must have the following qualities and skills:

• Significant experience in agricultural development in Southern countries.

• Structured knowledge of the agroecological grid.

• Good understanding of key agricultural value chains.

Strong pedagogical and synthesis skills.

• Proven experience in training in agronomy, and agroecology for non-initiated audiences.

• Proficiency in the English and Arabic languages as the training may potentially take place in English/Arabic considering the participants' profiles and the grid will likely need to be translated.

The contractor must include the following elements in their technical offer, without being exhaustive:

• Their CV

• Documents attesting to their references and service record

• Justification of the relevance of the methodology to be used

6. Payment terms

• Payments will be made only through bank transfer or bank cheques
• The price will be paid in USD while the VAT will be paid in LBP based on the official exchange rate on the date of the invoice.
• Payment will be made within 15 business days of invoice receipt.

[1] https://www.fao.org/agroecology/tools-tape

[2] https://www.agroecology-pool.org/b-act

[3] https://www.salvaterra.fr