Call for applications - Pilot Project on Linking Selected Farmers to Processors and Buyers

PROJECT BACKGROUND

1. General Background

The forced displacement crisis has increased in scale and complexity in recent years. According to UNHCR, 79.5 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide at the end of 2019. Forcibly displaced persons (FDPs), including refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) face specific vulnerabilities, including loss of assets and psychological trauma, limited rights, lack of opportunities, a protection risk as well as a risk to be out of school, and a lack of planning horizon. In addition, the communities hosting FDPs also struggle to pursue their own development efforts. 

In response to the considerable challenges facing FDPs and host communities, a new partnership initiative titled: ‘PROSPECTS' Partnership for improving Prospects for host communities and forcibly displaced persons, was launched by the Government of the Netherlands, that brings together the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank. Through the PROSPECTS partnership, the five partner agencies aim to leverage their comparative advantages and areas of expertise to programme complementary and interdependent interventions that address education and skills, employment and protection challenges. The partnership spans eight countries, namely Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Sudan, and Uganda and covers the period 2019-2023.  

2. PROSPECTS in Lebanon

Within the framework of the PROSPECTS programme in Lebanon, the ultimate objective of ILO’s intervention is to promote access for Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities to decent work opportunities (rights to work); and to ensure that while working, the workers from these communities have safe working conditions and social protection (rights at work), in line with International Labour Standards. More specifically, and in line with overarching priorities, the three overarching pillars under which ILO will be working include: education and learning; employment with dignity; and protection and inclusion. 

The Education & Learning pillar will aim to improve the learning outcomes for children and market-relevant skills of adolescents and youth living in Lebanon. The Employment with Dignity pillar will address the pressing challenges in the Lebanese context. The main aim of the programme within the employment pillar is to ensure enhanced economic opportunities and decent employment for vulnerable Lebanese host communities and Syrian refugees, with a focus on sectors such as agriculture and digital skills with potential for growth, job retention, and creation. The Protection & Inclusion pillar will increase protection and inclusion for refugees and host communities through strengthening of legal, policy and enabling environment for protection, social protection and inclusion.

ASSIGNMENT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

In Lebanon, the ILO’s focus in the Partnership is on enhancing resilience of Lebanon’s crisis-hit labour market and creating better livelihoods for both Lebanese host communities and Syrian refugees. It will do so by promoting the development of market-relevant skills, enhancing employment placement services and labour market governance, strengthening social protection schemes, and promoting micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) and sectors with potential for decent job creation. 

Amongst other tools and approaches, the ILO will use its Approach to Inclusive Market Systems (AIMS) to unlock opportunities for decent job creation in the horticulture sector. A Market Systems Analysis entitled “Unlocking opportunities for decent job creation in Lebanon’s horticulture sector” was finalized in early 2020, and forms the basis for the ILO’s intervention strategy to create and retain decent jobs for host communities and forcibly displaced persons in the sector. Following recommendations of the market systems analysis, ILO will work to: 

1. Encourage farmers to invest in more productive and appropriate greenhouse technologies
2. Improve production practices and better use of agricultural inputs 
3. Improve coordination and information flow along the value chain 

For all three objectives, in line with the market systems development approach, ILO will refrain from providing farmers with goods and services, including modern greenhouses, inputs or information, directly, but rather work with input suppliers, off-takers as well as public and private extension and business development service providers to tackle farmers’ constraints sustainably.  

SCOPE OF WORK AND METHODOLOGY

The severe devaluation of the Lebanese pound has led to hardship for farmers as prices for imported agricultural inputs soared. However, the devaluation has also opened up new opportunities, as Lebanese products are now more competitive, on both the local and the export market. Consequently, agro-food companies have launched efforts to source agricultural produce locally from Lebanese farmers. These changing sourcing policies of companies can have positive effects on local farmers as it provides them with opportunities to produce and sell more, at potentially more stable prices.

However, establishing functioning links between off-taking agro-food companies and local farmers can be marred with challenges as farmers are new to these kind of off-taker schemes and may perceive it as risky. Farmers/farmer groups may also struggle to produce the quantities required by agro-food companies, and may be reluctant invest in specific varieties and qualities needed by agro-food companies. On the other hand, agro-food companies may find it risky to fully rely on local farmers for inputs and/or may find that sourcing locally is associated with additional costs, as farmers require extensive guidance, training, and capacity building to produce the required quantity and quality. 

A market gap exists in Lebanon with regarding to services that would be required to connect, guide and advise all involved parties with the ultimate objective of establishing functioning links along the supply chain. To this end, ILO has launched a survey with agro-food companies to collect information on their sourcing needs as well as their experiences, preferences and challenges when trying to source food locally. The survey identified different crops and specific crop varieties that are demanded by agro-food companies and buyers for processing and on-sell, but that are not available locally, or not in sufficient quantities. 

In a next step, ILO envisages to launch a pilot scheme aimed to establish a working business model for the envisaged services that can be scaled up in a second stage. Under this pilot scheme feasibility studies will be conducted, and the project will support selected farmers to ensure production of the right quantity and quality for processing firms. The objective of this assignment is for a consultant to accompany this process and liaise with processing firms, consultancy firms, farmer groups and other stakeholders as needed to conduct the pilot scheme. 

DELIVERABLES

The consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs based on the above-mentioned tasks:

1. Short report on the selection of the consultancy firm(s) to be involved, by 31 March 2022 at the latest
2. Short report (1-2 pages) with information on design of the trial (variety selected, location of pilot, etc.), by 15 May 2022 at the latest
3. Short mid-term report on progress of the pilot scheme, by 15 August 2022 at the latest 
4. Final report on results of the pilot scheme and recommendations for next steps, by 15 December 2022 at the latest

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The consultant shall possess the following qualifications:

• Extensive experience with consultancy work for processors and agri-food companies 
• In-depth knowledge of supply chains of agri-food companies and processors in Lebanon
• Extensive experience conducting feasibility studies and market research in the agricultural sector
• Fluency in Arabic and English. 
• Knowledge and experience in value chain development and/or market systems development would be an asset

TIME FRAME AND DURATION

It is estimated that the above tasks and outputs require a total of 55 working days. All deliverables are expected to be completed by 15 December 2022 at the latest. 

 SUPERVISION 

Reporting Line:

The consultant will perform his/her assignment under the supervision of the AIMS Technical Officer and the overall guidance of ILO PROSPECTS Chief Technical Adviser for Arab States.