GLOBAL GAP, food safety and market Requirements Training for the Horticulture for Growth (H4G) Project: Promoting Horticulture Enterprise Development

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Solidaridad Network is an international solution-oriented civil society organization working through eight regional expertise centres to transform markets to make them more sustainable and inclusive. Our eight regional expertise centres include Asia, Eastern and Central Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, Southern Africa, South America, West Africa and our global Secretariat in the Netherlands. Solidaridad Eastern and Central Africa, one of the regional centres, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya with country offices and programmes in Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. We bring together supply chain players and engage them with innovative solutions to improve production, ensuring the transition to a sustainable and inclusive economy that maximizes the benefit for all. We facilitate strengthening of local capacity in developing countries, support the creation of enabling environments for economies to thrive, and improve market access. Solidaridad embraces the public-private and people partnerships (PPPP) in order to test innovations, speed up change, and take success to scale. Globally, Solidaridad works around horticulture and other 12 commodities/sectors (http://www.solidaridadnetwork.org)

2.0 The Horticulture for growth project (H4G) Summary

The Horticulture for Growth project (H4G project): Promoting Horticulture Enterprise Development in Kenya is a 3-year project targeting small holder farmers in 7 Counties (Kirinyaga, Makueni, Laikipia, Bomet, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nakuru and Nyandarua) in Kenya. The goal of the action is to improve livelihoods (food security and income), resilience and business case development for small holder farmers. This will be achieved by the promotion of the use of improved horticultural crop production technologies, regenerative farming practices, address challenges related to access to finance and quality farm inputs and services, market access and enabling policy environment.

The project overall objective is to improve livelihoods (food security and income), resilience and business case development of 30,000 horticulture smallholder farming households in Kenya

2.1 Background

About 80% of the population of Kenya lives in the rural areas and derive their livelihood largely from agriculture. But more important is the fact that 56% of the Kenyan people live below the poverty line with over 80% of these in the rural areas. Women are generally poorer than men and suffer more severely from the impacts of economic downturn. 52.5% of Kenyan males in the rural areas and 49.2% of those in urban areas live below the poverty line. In both instances the statistics for females is higher; 54.1% of rural and 63.0% of urban women live below the poverty line. The horticulture sector is the third most important foreign exchange earner after coffee and tea and is often viewed as a growth engine of the economy. The sector is dominated by smallholder farmers who account for about 80% and produce about 55% of the total exports.

Kenya’s horticulture (Fruits and Vegetable) production is largely rain fed. In many instances, the frequency of rainfall has not been adequate to sustain crop production, leading to serious food insecurity and losses in the country. Estimates available indicate that about 50.6% of the Kenyan people lack access to adequate food The incidence and prevalence of food insecurity is more severe in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). Hence, in order to have secured food production, there is a need to minimize dependence on rain-fed agriculture by utilizing water resources for irrigation under sustainable environmental management. In this context, the Government of Kenya formulated the Strategy for Revitalizing Agriculture 2004 – 2014 (SRA) towards the implementation of the Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS). The strategy envisages increased agricultural productivity, including diversification into high value horticultural crops for the export market and domestic market, thereby economically empowering the poor farmers, and generally reducing the number of people suffering from hunger, famine or starvation.

The horticulture for growth project aims at generating a sustainable and inclusive horticulture value chain that guarantees improved productivity, safe working conditions, enhanced job creation, access to finance, enabling business environment, and access to markets for smallholder horticulture farmers in Kenya. The factors put together will lead to improved livelihoods amongst the 30,000 direct beneficiaries in the agreed counties.

2.2 Assignment Objective:

The objective of this assignment is to conduct an awareness training to 7 groups in 7 counties (Kirinyaga, Makueni, Laikipia, Bomet, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nakuru and Nyandarua) in Kenya as per below topics as per the indicators of project objectives and expected results specified in the project results framework.

● Basic group dynamics, social capital development and group sustainability

● Awareness on market requirements for fruits and vegetables.

● GLOBAL GAP implementation towards certification.

● Contract farming

● Food safety requirements in fruits and vegetables.

3.0 Scope of Work:

This Terms of Reference (TOR) seeks to have the consultant conduct the following;

a) Prepare a curriculum that takes into account the above-mentioned training areas

b) Training of 7 farmer groups based in the selected project counties on Global GAP, Version 6, Option food safety; contract farming; collective marketing; market requirements and market information sharing.

c) Build the capacity of the selected farmers to carry on with proper record-keeping even after external certification.

d) Train the selected farmers on risk assessments, sampling of water, soil, and MRL testing as prerequisites to undertake Global GAP certification.

e) Advise farmer groups on the suitable laboratories to deliver soil, water, and produce samples to the laboratory for the initial analysis.

f) Ensure the target farmers are grouped into village and lending groups and trained on group dynamics and social capital development.

3.1 Methodology.

The consultant will;

a) Together with Solidaridad, Map and Identify the target groups

b) Develop the training curriculum

c) Carry out physical training for smallholder farmer groups.

4.0 Deliverables:

I. Work plan and expression of interest (EOI) for the assignment, outlining;

● A detailed methodology for implementation of the assignment.

● A detailed work plan for the work.

II. An inception report before the commencement of the assignment detailing the approach, methodology and general concept to the entire process.

III. Detailed report of the gaps identified and recommendations for closure of the gaps.

IV. Final assignment report

5.0 Expert/Consultant’s Profile:

Consultancy firms/companies with verifiable research work in the horticulture value chains and who fulfill the following requirements are encouraged to express their interests.

i. The team leader should have a minimum of a Master’s degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, Crop Protection, Agriculture Education and Extension, Agronomy, Environmental Science, or related and relevant fields.

ii. The technical lead should have relevant professional/academic qualifications in Farm Standards/Farm assurer, Food Safety, Quality Management Systems, or related and relevant field

iii. Relevant professional training in Global gap implementation

iv. At least 3 years of proven professional experience in Smallholder Growers training on Global gap, contract farming, and group dynamics or consultancy, preferably in the fruit and vegetable sector.

v. Proven experience in facilitating similar training programs

vi. Excellent pedagogical skills to facilitate knowledge transfer and the learning process.

vii. Excellent communication skills, including fluency in English & Kiswahili.

6.0 Duration of the assignment.

The assignment is expected to take place within a maximum of 45 days after signing the contract.

Application process:

The consultancy firms/companies are required to submit an EOI containing a statement on the candidate’s experience with similar assignments, curriculum vitae, financial proposal, and work plan by January 15th, 2023 at 5:00 (EAT). All applicants must meet the minimum requirements described above, those unable to meet the requirement will not be considered.

Each EOI submission should be not more than 15 pages and include the following:

● A brief proposal for the study with methodology and work plan.

● A sample/samples of previous related work.

● A financial proposal with a budget with breakdowns of different costs involved, to the finer detail. Budget with aggregated figures will not be accepted.

● Updated CVs for the team leader and team members (each CV not more than 2 pages).

● Contact details of 3 references with complete contact information (i.e. name, organization, title position, address, email, telephone).