Food Security Consultant – Worldwide

About Humanity & Inclusion

Humanity & Inclusion (HI) is an independent and impartial international aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. Working alongside people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our action and testimony are focused on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions and promoting respect for their dignity and their fundamental rights. HI is currently implementing projects in more than 50 countries worldwide. Since the organization was founded in 1982, we have established programs in around 62 countries and responded to hundreds of emergencies. Today, the organization has around 3,500 employees worldwide. Eight national associations, based in the United States, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Great Britain and Canada, provide overall support for the field programs, which are implemented through the headquarters in Lyon, France. HI is engaged in an employment policy in favor of workers with disabilities. As such, people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit: www.hi.org

Global Food Crisis: Context of intervention

An estimated 193 million people are currently in need of urgent food assistance in more than 50 countries around the world. The war in Ukraine, supply chain disruptions, climate change and the continued economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic are reversing years of development gains and pushing food prices to all-time highs. The global food security cluster is sounding the alarm and has highlighted that the food security situation has particularly worsened in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel region, South Sudan and Yemen, where the severity of needs has sharply intensified, including in some instances pockets of populations already facing famine-like conditions. The global food security cluster call for a mobilization of all resources, coordination and response to reverse the glooming trend of hunger.

HI’s positioning on the Global Food Crisis:

We believe that action must be taken now, and that HI has a role to play in responding to the food security crisis.

HI has identified, among its country programs, that Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, DRC, Chad, Mali and Niger as countries with some of the most concerning contexts. These countries need support in identifying needs and gaps in the food security response and potentially implementing relevant activities.

To provide this support, HI is creating a pool of emergency food security specialists who can be rapidly deployed to the aforementioned countries in order to provide technical and programmatic support depending on the country programs’ needs.

HI’s pillars of interventions to respond to the food security crisis are:

• Basic needs: In order to mitigate the risks of undernutrition, mortality, and to reduce the likelihood of households adopting negative coping strategies, HI will provide immediate life-saving food assistance in the form of in-kind, cash, or vouchers to the most vulnerable communities affected by the crises. HI’s food assistance projects will have complementary humanitarian and development interventions to support the recovery and resilience of populations through economic inclusion activities. This approach aims to address, not only the immediate food needs of people, but also the root causes of food insecurity. HI will ensure the protection and recovery of livelihoods and food systems affected by the crises to avoid dependence on emergency assistance.

• Physical and Functional Rehabilitation. In this context, HI will focus on interventions for acutely malnourished children in partnership with health/nutrition actors:

  • Early Childhood Stimulation Therapy for acutely malnourished children and their caregiver(s) (Integrated Approach to Rehabilitation/MHPSS
  • Strengthening of health professionals (rehabilitation staff, health agents, etc.) and structures that implement this approach (training, equipment, etc.)
  • Sensitization of key community members and family members to the importance and benefits of stimulation therapy
  • Referral to appropriate services
  • Facilitation of financial access to rehabilitation service

• Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS): HI will focus on activities related to Physical Rehabilitation and Early Childhood Stimulation Therapy. HI can provide integrated Rehabilitation/MHPSS approach, refer to existing MHPSS and other services and develop integrated activities with Food Security activities.

• Inclusive Humanitarian Action (IHA): HI can conduct vulnerability analysis with DGA data in a cross-cutting manner-integrated into all multi-sector and sector assessments; can analyse barriers (including DGA data) in a cross-cutting manner-integrated into all multi-sector and sectoral assessments; can focus on identification / orientation / referral (in conjunction with MHPSS and Protection); can raise awareness and participation in coordination mechanisms; and can provide ad-hoc technical support

Background:

Depending on the context and the needs of the country program, the consultant may have different objectives and deliverables. These will be defined and agreed upon prior to their deployment.

Potential Consultant Objectives:

The Consultant will:

1. Conduct a food security assessment (which could include desk review, survey, findings analysis, mapping, etc.) to gain deeper insight of the food security situation in the assigned country. This will help with positioning and the development of appropriate food security projects.
2. Develop and design food security projects (food assistance and economic inclusion and resilience programming related to food security) in close links with other sectors Specialists and teams, both at HQ and program level and facilitate action planning as appropriate.
3. Support in the initial implementation of food security projects *(*set up of tools and methodology): technical oversight to ensure program quality, operational guidance, capacity building of staff
4. Support with business development (mapping and analysis of opportunities, concept note and proposal writing)

Consultant Profile and Expertise:

• Proven successful experience as a consultant conducting analysis and research on food security in humanitarian settings
• Excellent skills and experience in designing and implementing food security projects in emergencies
• Minimum of five years of field experience working on food security projects
• Knowledge of complexities of working in an emergency context in relation to food security
• Excellent communication and writing skills (grant proposals, reports, etc.)
• Excellent written and spoken English/or French depending on countries of expertise/interest where the consultant can be deployed
• Ability to travel to all or some of the countries aforementioned
• Experience working in aforementioned countries a plus

Duration and Location of Consultancy: The duration of the consultancy should be 30-60 days depending on objectives and expected deliverable of consultancy.

Submission of Expression of Interest:

Prospective consultants are requested to submit their curriculum vitae (including detailed work experience and education), references, and daily rate using the following format:

• Profile of the consultant / consultancy firm
• References
• Understanding and interpretation of the Terms of Reference
• Description of similar consultancies, report authored, etc.
• Countries of interest and/or expertise (among the countries listed in the section ‘HI’s positioning on the Global Food Crisis’)[1]
• Proposed daily rate

[1] Please only list countries that you are able to travel to (see visa requirements)