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Strengthening capacities of SACAU members in climate resilience and further topics of strategic importance through peer learning and exchanges

Terms of reference for experts to be engaged for the purpose of collating Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices/innovations.

 

  • Background and rationale

The effects of anthropogenic climate change are already evident in southern Africa and average temperatures are projected to rise faster than the global average, while precipitation amounts are projected to decrease in the future. Agriculture is one of the sectors most affected by the impacts of climate change in the region and is already affecting both crop and livestock production negatively. Rising temperatures and increasing rainfall variability are impacting crop performance, leading to heat stress in livestock, and pressure by pests, weeds, and diseases of crops and livestock is increasing. Africa is therefore considered a “hot spot” for the exposure and vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. Among the common principles for adaptation to the impacts of climate change, building climate resilience is considered of key importance. It has been widely recognized by international frameworks such as the African Union’s Malabo Declaration, the 2030 Agenda and the associated Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the FAO Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture. At the same time, measures for strengthening climate resilience also open opportunities for climate change mitigation for example in the form of carbon offset systems such as conservation agriculture or agroforestry.

 

Given the above, the need for building resilient farming systems and the urgency of the matter cannot be overemphasized. However, it is important to note that building farming systems that are resilient to climate change challenges is not an event but a process that needs a step-by-step approach. Despite the urgency of the sector to respond to the challenges, necessary steps will have to be taken if the efforts to be taken by role-players in improving the resilience of farming systems are to be successful. It is in light of this that SACAU posits that stock-taking of CSA practices and/or innovations that farmers, working with other stakeholders, are already undertaking and implementing will be a necessary first step to be carried out. There are good reasons why farmers are adopting these practices and hence the need to collate them as the basis for spreading out and upscaling. However, there will always need to understand that when it comes to adoption and upscaling, context matters and measures will need to be taken not impose innovations where they will not be implementable.

 

It is against this background that SACAU intends to support the Agricultural Council of Tanzania (ACT) to engage the services of a consultant/short-term expert in their respective countries to conduct a rapid exercise of identifying, collating, and compiling CSA practices adopted by farmers in response to climate change challenges. The CSA practices can be for cropping, livestock, or mixed farming systems. The innovations can also be for adaptation, mitigation, or a combination of the two. Since this is a rapid assessment, the extent of adoption of the practice will only be categorized as low, medium, or high, to give a sense of the prevalence of the uptake of the innovation at the national level. The roles of SACAU and ACT will also be spelled out.

    

  • Scope of the assignment

The assignment will involve the collation and compilation of CSA practices/innovations being implemented in the respective country. ACT (with assistance from SACAU) will engage a consultant with requisite expertise and experience through a formal procurement process. The consultant will use the expertise and experience to identify, collate, and compile the CSA practices implemented by farmers to negate or slow the impacts of climate change in the respective country. As already alluded to above, the CSA practices can be for cropping, livestock, or mixed farming systems. The innovations can also be for adaptation, mitigation, or a combination of the two. Since this is a rapid assessment, the extent of adoption of the practice will only be categorized as low, medium, or high, to give a sense of the prevalence of the uptake of the innovation at the national level. Specifically, the consultant will undertake the following:

 

  1. Review documents, strategies, and action plans put in place by government departments and other role players aimed at the promotion and adoption of CSA practices in the respective country.
  2. Identify, collate, and compile the CSA practices being promoted by the documents mentioned in a. above.
  3. Identify key role players working in the country to promote the adoption of CSA practices and the specific practices they are promoting.
  4. Identify the types of support being offered by these role players e.g., awareness campaigns, technical support, financial support, or any other support aimed at promoting the adoption of CSA practices in the respective country.
  5. Conduct interviews with role players that include farmers’ organisations, community-based organizations, civil society organisations, government departments, development agencies, research, academic institutions, etc., to get a sense of the CSA practices being implemented and where they are being implemented.
  6. For each identified CSA innovation, get a sense of the extent to which the practice is being implemented in the country (low, medium, or high).
  7. In liaison with the NFO/s in the country, organize a consultative workshop of role players and stakeholders to share and validate the results of the rapid study.

 

3.0       Approach to the assignment

Working with the ACT, specifically members of the SACAU Community of Practice (CoP), the consultant with conduct rapid collation and compilation of CSA practices being implemented by farmers in the respective countries. The exercise will include desktop studies, interviews with farmers’ organisations, civil society organisations, development agencies, government departments (all levels of government), and any relevant stakeholders working in the respective countries to promote the adoption of CSA practices. A review of the national and other plans put in place by governments and other stakeholders aimed at the promotion of adoption and upscaling of CSA practices could be a good entry point to understanding what is obtaining in the respective country regarding building resilience of farming systems.

 

Each consultant will design the detailed approach and methodology considering the existing operating environment in the respective country, demonstrating how their preferred approach will achieve the intended results of the study.

4.0 Duration  of the assignment

The assignment should be completed by the 15th of December 2023. Each country consultant is expected to complete the assignment in a period of 15 working days.

5.0 Deliverables and Timeframe

  1. Participation in a webinar for all consultants to discuss methodology and reporting framework.
  2. Draft report on the rapid assessment and outcomes of stakeholder validation meeting by 11th December 2023
  • Final report by 15th December 2023

6.0 Profile of the Consultant

  1. Relevant education and expertise: A consultant should have a degree in a related field such as environmental science, climate science, or ecology and other related qualifications.
  2. Experience in conducting research especially, collecting, collating, and analyzing data, and report writing.
  • Broader knowledge of the impact of climate change on the environment, society, and economy
  1. Familiarity with relevant national and international climate-related policies and regulations related to climate change mitigation and adaptation and other climate change management programs at the national level.
  2. Ability to communicate complex scientific information to a range of audiences, including policymakers, stakeholders, and general communities.
  3. Ability to analyze complex problems, identify potential solutions, and make recommendations based on their findings and
  • Ability to manage projects, coordinate with stakeholders, and meet deadlines.

7.0 Expression of interest

The expression of interest should be accompanied by a technical proposal and a budget in South African rands of 15 actual study days. It should clearly outline the approach/methodology that will be adopted in undertaking the work. Finally, the proposal should also be accompanied by a CV outlining relevant knowledge and experience of at least 10 years and provided with references.

The expression of interest should be sent to act@actanzania.or.tz copy bernardavelina@gmail.com and obedyabraham97@gmail.com