LEAD CONSULTANT FOR CAPACITY BUILDING OF FARMERS ON REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Career Opportunity: Lead Consultant for Capacity Building of Farmer on Regenerative Agriculture

1. ABOUT US

We are an international development organization putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.

We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Challenges made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can grow big.

We’re a global change-making group. The group consists of a UK registered charity with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, an independent development publishing company and a technical consulting service. We combine these specialisms to multiply our impact and help shape a world that works better for everyone.

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1.1 OUR AIMS

We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. Our aims are to:

• Make agriculture work better for smallholder farmers, many of them women, so they can adapt to climate change and achieve a good standard of living
• Help more people harness the transformational effects of clean affordable energy and reduce avoidable deaths caused by smoke from indoor stoves and fires.
• Make cities in poorer countries cleaner, healthier places to live and work.
• Build disaster resilience into the lives of people threatened by hazards – reducing the risk of hazards and minimizing their impact on lives and livelihoods.

 PRACTICAL ACTION IN EAST 

In East Africa, Practical Action has a long history of addressing systemic barriers that prevent people from accessing energy that transforms their lives, helping communities and government make cities healthier and safer, making agriculture and markets work better for small holder farmers and supporting communities and government to become more resilient. 

In Rwanda, we are recognized leaders in clean cooking and sustainable energy solutions. This includes ground-breaking work in solar, wind and water powered electricity generation, often delivered through independent mini grids. We bring rural communities, people in refugee camps, energy providers and decision makers together to put sustainable, clean energy solutions to work for the people who need them most.

In our strategic business plan 2021-2025, we propose to extend our current reach and scope in Rwanda by deepening our energy work and stretching our portfolio to work with small holder farmers to make agriculture work better for them.

Within our agriculture ambition, Practical Action is implementing a 22 -months solar powered irrigation project in Mahama. The objective of the project is to improve lives and livelihoods in Mahama using productive use of energy for agriculture. This project works with both the refugees and host community in Mahama to demonstrate community-managed micro-irrigation systems to diversify livelihoods and enhance food security using regenerative agriculture system.

2. BACKGROUND

Farming that works better for people and planet

There is a need for a market-led transition to sustainable, regenerative, and inclusive agriculture. Regenerative agriculture will improve and sustain soil fertility, biodiversity, water, and the ecosystems in which we live, while maximizing sustainable production, and improving rural economies. In addition, it will increase nutritional diversity.

Into that regard, building and strengthening cooperative farmers capacity through regenerative agriculture system will aid farms and woodlands to sequester carbon and support biodiversity whilst still producing local food and other produce. It will restore the natural rhythm of our ecosystems, reviving landscapes for generations to come.

3. JOB PURPOSE

The main objective is to train farmers and improve their skills and knowledge to respond to the challenges the agricultural sector is experiencing related to climate change, low levels of crop production, and soil degradation with the aim to sustainably contributing to increasing crop productivity. This activity to training farmers on Regenerative Agriculture will provide practical solutions towards transforming the agriculture landscapes and practices resulting in sustainable cultivation methods, balanced ecosystems, and healthy produce.

 The overall objectives of the consultancy provision are:

• To enhance the understanding of the principles of resource-saving and sustainable agriculture technologies towards transitioning to Regenerative Agriculture (RA) as a new way of farming.
• To equip farmers with the competences that respond to sustainable crop production
• To design training content that would contribute to providing practical knowledge and skills in the application of RA practices in the context of different socioeconomic and agro-ecological environments.
• to build the capacity and to equip Farmers with practical knowledge in using the best regenerative agriculture practices
• To enhance farmer knowledge on Climate Smart Integrated pest management (IPM)
• Support farmers with practical knowledge and prepare agriculture inputs on the field (Seedlings, compost, etc,..), also including demonstration plots
• Continuously coach farmers towards building farmer’s practical knowledge
• Provide ToT for lead farmers and develop a methodology that would allow them to coach the other farmers

More specifically,  

• To prepare a training report, detailing how the trainings were conducted, achievements, challenges, lessons, opportunities for future engagements and recommendations.
• To organize a half -day presentation to cooperative members, other stakeholders like local government, any other partner to share the training report and recommendations.
• To produce monthly monitoring reports (6 Months)

4. SCOPE OF ASSIGNMENT

4.1.    Geographical scope

• Kirehe District: Mahama sector, precisely in Mahama refugees’ camp and in the host community.
• The Training targets in total 80 individual Farmers from two cooperatives between February 2023 and July 2023

4.2. Course expectations

At the end of the training, participants are expected to have good theoretical and practical knowledge and be able to integrate RA into their farming practices. On the other side, farmers lead trainers will be   able to provide input to the development of project implementation action plans aimed at facilitating promotion of RA.

4.3.  Responsibilities 

From February 2023 and July 2023, in a close supervision of the project coordinator, the lead consultant in regenerative agriculture training will mainly support:  

1. Develop the training modules and workplan for the regenerative agriculture training: 

• Assessment to better understand current farming practices, sources, needs, and crops.
• Develop the training methodology/approach
• Develop the training implementation programme for the farmers
• Develop a Manual and materials for knowledge development (training guide for the trainer and trainees).

     2. Conduct the training for the cooperative board, and members on regenerative agriculture system:

• Explain and demonstrate to farmers the concept and principles of RA and its applications on various commodities,
• Guide farmers in analyzing and determining solutions to problems in sustainable use of soil and water in farming,
• Plan and facilitate farmer-based trials and demonstrations for adaptation of regenerative agriculture technologies,
• Facilitate the training sessions using participatory principles and

The training basically will concentrate on Regenerative agriculture technology and practices, it will cover various thematic topics which include but not limited to: What is RA and why RA (Background, historical perspectives, rationale, benefits, challenges); Conventional farming (what has gone wrong); RA Concepts and principles ( Minimum Soil Disturbance - Manual; animal traction & tractor based systems; permanent organic soil cover and Crop rotations and/or associations); Soil Health (Soil characteristics & properties, erosion and water infiltration); Regenerative Agriculture Equipment; Weed, pest & disease management and control in RA systems (timeliness; manual options; strategic control); Crop-tree-livestock integration in regenerative agriculture systems ( RA & Agroforestry; RA & Livestock, RA and Climate Change) and Extension Approaches for RA ( Farmer Field School, Study circles, model farmers and contract farming).

Field based practical will include integrated soil fertility management practices, practical demonstration of erosion control processes and infiltration Run-off trays; Cover crop types and seeds demo & display: RA techniques in manual systems (laying, digging basins, dibbling; manual weed control); R.A in tractor-based Systems (rippers and sub-soilers) to be pictorially illustrated through photographs and videos.

During the training emphasis will be on RA equipment utility as well as attention to RA technology package adoption to avoid impartial application of single principle which may end up not bringing expected results of the technology as proven when combination of multiple practices is adopted.

The theoretical training will be complemented by a framework for practical trainings. TOT and continuous coaching.

1. Conduct one follow-up session on a monthly basis (6 Months) and generate a monthly report
2. Conduct training of Trainers of 20 lead farmers

METHODOLOGY

The training shall be designed as a Training of Trainers (ToT) whereby the participants master theoretical and practical knowledge and skills of regenerative agricultural practices. The training shall use participatory and adult learning training approach to ensure active participation of trainees. Variety of interactive training methods shall be used including brainstorming, buzz group, group exercise, role playing, case study, etc. Upon completion of this training, all participants shall initiate similar training in their respective community, neighbors, and farms under the close support from the project Agronomist who shall continue to play backstopping role.

The expected timeline for implementation is like below: 

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

The duration of the contract is expected from February 2023 and July 2023 with total workdays as outlined above. Under the general supervision and guidance of the project coordinator, the Consultant will be responsible for the following key duties including a series of deliverables:

REPORTING AND BILLING

The lead consultant will provide the following report:

• Progress update will be submitted every month to the project coordinator, along with an attendance sheet and invoice. Payment will be processed following verification of the report.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum of a bachelors’ degree in Agronomy, soil sciences, agro-ecology, crop production and any other related fields
• Minimum of 5 year’s professional experience in regenerative agriculture, Organic farming or consulting capacity in integrated soil fertility management, agro ecology and other relevant area.
• Demonstrable understanding on current regenerative agricultural practices.
• Proven professional experience in regenerative agriculture trainings.
• Demonstrable experience in delivering trainings to farmers using adult training methods,
• Strong technical report writing skills,
• Excellent writing and speaking skills in English and Kinyarwanda
• The consultant is required to respond to the TOR with both technical and financial proposal of not more than 10 pages detailing how the assignment will be carried out, methodology and schedule of activities/workplan.

HOW TO APPLY

A detailed Terms of Reference (ToR) can be accessed from Practical Action WEBSITE

If you have the experience, skills and the ability we are looking for. Qualified bidders are requested to submit their application to recruitmentrwanda@practicalaction.org  with the subject line: application for farmer cooperative capacity building on Regenerative Agriculture.

The application deadline is 5^th February 203. All applications will be treated according to the merit of the candidate and with strict confidentially.

Practical Action is an equal opportunities employer and we encourage applications from under-represented groups.  We stay committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse working environment and believe that people from different backgrounds or cultures give us different perspectives, and the more perspectives we have, the more successful we will be. By building a culture where everyone feels heard, respected and valued we give everyone working with us the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Please note that only short-listed bidders will be contacted