Terms Of Reference For The Consultancy  Assessment Of The Role And Position Of Youth In Agroecology (ae)/ Ecological Organic Agriculture (eoa) In Africa.

1. Introduction

Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) wishes to recruit a consultant or firm to undertake the above assignment under the African Union Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Initiative. The EOA Initiative is an African Union continental undertaking started in 2011 and currently implemented in nine countries (Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda) in which BvAT is an Executing Agency and host to the AUC-CSC Continental Secretariat.

The EOA Initiative is implemented under the guidance and oversight of the AU chaired Continental Steering Committee (CSC) to establish an African organic farming platform based on available best practices; and to develop sustainable organic farming systems and improve seed quality. Its mission is to promote ecologically sound strategies and practices among diverse stakeholders involved in production, processing, marketing, and policy making to safeguard the environment, improve livelihoods, alleviate poverty and guarantee food security among farmers in Africa. The goal is to contribute to mainstreaming of Ecological Organic Agriculture into national agricultural production systems by 2025 to improve agricultural productivity, food security, access to markets and sustainable development in Africa. In addition, these efforts are hoped to reduce exploitation of the organic farmers in Africa. The initiative embraces holistic production systems that sustain the health of soils, ecosystems, and people, and relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions rather than reliance on the use of external inputs with adverse effects on people’s total health (human, animal, plant and environmental).

BvAT, a not-for-profit organization established in Kenya in 2009 and based in the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE)Nairobi, with the goal to alleviate poverty and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Kenya and other African countries through supporting dissemination of information and knowledge on appropriate technology to improve human, animal, plant, and environmental health. It is the lead agency for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) grant support to the Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Initiative.

2. Background

The agriculture sector in most African countries is the biggest employer and contributes greatly to their Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The sector has potential to contribute significantly to the continent’s growth and development. However, the sector predominantly depends on chemical-based inputs which contributes to negative impacts on soils and biodiversity thereby affecting crop and animal genetic diversity and welfare, human nutrition and increased costs for public health, and communities’ vulnerability to external shocks.1 These effects are being felt in contexts where natural resources are under increasing pressure as revealed by studies2; that the earth is fast approaching boundary limits on various natural phenomena including climate change, ocean acidification and global freshwater use. Africa, and particularly SubSaharan Africa, has been under increasing focus to improve food systems to make them more resilient and sustainable. Various initiatives are emerging to address this desire, with youth
and women taking center stage.

The global population is projected to increase by 2.5 billion by 2050 by the United Nations. Majority of this population increase will be witnessed in the developing countries and with around 50% of the population by that time being the youth. Globally, about 1.2 billion young3 people between the ages of 15 and 24 are considered important human resource for innovations and development to the agricultural sector . According to the United Nations, nearly 88% of them live in developing nations, particularly rural sub-Saharan Africa and SouthCentral and Southeast Asia, where agriculture is often the primary – or only – source of income. In these regions rural youth, spend half or more of their working time farming. This is a sizable labor force which if applied properly, it can lead to enormous economic growth. It is, therefore, critical to identify the roles youth play in mainstreaming development of various sectors, and within various segments of agricultural value chains.

Agricultural value chains can be summarized into five major segments: agricultural inputs supply; farm production; post-harvest handling; processing; and marketing. Independently and in collectively the value chain segments contribute to food security, improved livelihoods, income generation, and economic diversification and growth. Youth can play various roles in the five segments.

However, it is not clear what appropriate entry points for youth should inform investments in advanced technologies to accelerate on-farm adoption and business growth in Africa and helping guide programs that can involve youth in building safe, resilient food systems and farming economies in the region. Other challenges impeding youth from fully unlocking their potential include limited access to financing, limited land ownership, lack of markets and limited training in their capacity needs. These challenges shape youth’s perceptions and present farming as an unstable livelihood and consequently turns them towards urban centers for white-collar opportunities.

The aforementioned challenges come against the reality of high unemployment rate for youth being three times that of adults in all regions of the world, according to a 2021 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization. In Africa especially, which enjoys the globe’s youngest population, two-thirds of youth are unemployed or working in vulnerable, low-paying positions. Thus, effective engagement of youth in agroecology is critical to strengthening local food systems, feeding communities, and providing gainful employment opportunities for the world’s booming youth population.

3. Rationale of the study

The study will create entry points for the new SDC Agroecology programme planned to start in 2024 by strengthening the ‘youth and entrepreneurship’ pillar of the programme. Currently, initiatives are emerging in Africa to motivate youth to play their role significantly and in dignified manner towards agroecological transitions.

The Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Initiative is one of those initiatives with youth engagement being streamlined within its projects. Other initiatives focusing on the youth include the Heifer International’s AYuTe Africa Challenge, encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation in the agriculture sector and the YALTA Initiative – a partnership between the Netherlands Food Partnership(NFP), and the IKEA Foundation supporting young (aspiring) entrepreneurs in agroecology to effectively realize the transition towards sustainable food systems with solid business opportunities and capacity strengthening through youth caravans, mentorship programmes, policy engagements, and business accelerators to apply agroecology principles provide some of the much needed entry points and kinds of support required for effective youth engagement.4 The need for broader clarity on the entry points and kinds of support required through various interventions targeting youth motivates the undertaking of this study. It is an obligation that should be fulfilled to bring youth into greater focus and play of sustainable food systems.

4.Purpose and Scope of the Study
The purpose of this study is to:

1. 1. Underscore the importance of and potential for youth participation in agroecology transformations.
   2. Identify and clarify opportunities and entry points for youths as agents of change in promoting sustainable food systems frameworks in Africa.
   3. Provide recommendations to donor agencies, policy makers and other stakeholders interested in strategies for youth inspirations/ aspirations, imagined futures and future orientations in AE/EOA

Specifically, the country-specific assessments will focus on the following: 

1. 1. Identifying position of youth in agroecology/EOA transformations.
   2. Assessment of scope and role of youth in interventions related to Agroecology/EOA to provide an overview of the entry points for effective youth engagement.
   3. Assessment of aspirations and strategies of youth participation in supporting Agroecology/EOA interventions.
   4. Constraints and challenges to youth participation in Agroecology/EOA initiatives across dimensions of practice & advocacy, production, supply chains and consumption.
   5. Recommendations on priority setting for youth engagement in agroecology/EOA at national, regional, and continental levels across dimensions of practice & advocacy, production, supply chains and consumption.

5. Deliverables
The expected key outputs of the assessment are:

1. An Inception Report: Elaboration of the assessment methodology and tools to be applied including a detailed schedule of activities to be undertaken across the selected countries. This should be ready within 2 weeks before signing the contract.
2. Draft Report: A report with findings related to all the objectives and should be ready within 60 days from the day of signing the contract.
3. ) Final Report: The technical report should include the executive summary, background, methodology, key findings, conclusions, lessons and recommendations, and annexes (key officials interviewed, documents consulted, and data collection instruments applied). The final report to include inputs from the CSC and RSC. The final report to be submitted by 30th June 2023.
4. Policy Briefs: Preparation of national, regional, and continental policy briefs resulting from the findings and recommendation of this assignmen

6. Background Documents

In addition to relevant documents and reports to be sought at country and AU level, various documents valuable to this study will be provided including but not limited to:

1. • Report of the study on the legal, policy and institutional development of EOA in Southern, Northern, Central and Southern Africa undertaken by AUC under the EOA-I
   • Report on the legislation and policy development of EOA-I in 3 eastern Africa countries of Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia.
   • Country specific reports, plans and strategies on Agriculture and particularly EOA, if any
   • EOA Strategic Plan (2015-2025) and EOA Action Plan (2015-2020)
   • Report of the Assessment of SSNC contribution to second phase ( 2016-2020) of EOA in Eastern Africa
   • EOA Phase I ( 2014-2018) External Evaluation Report 2020
   • Report of the Organizational and Capacity Assessment (2018)
   • Baseline Study of EOA Initiative in Africa- Phase 2 – 2019
   • EOA Phase II ( 2019-2023) External Evaluation Report 2022

7. Methodology
This assessment will be conducted through an assets approach to youth participation in agroecology which appreciates and mobilizes individual or group talents and strengths, rather than focusing only on deficits (needs), problems or threats and is referred to as the three-lens approach to youth participation: Youth as target beneficiaries, with youth as partners, and be shaped by youth as leaders.

• The ultimate aim is to develop youth as partners and leaders in development. This is based on youth having agency: their capacity to act, their skills and capabilities and their ability to change their own lives and is the central tenet of the asset-based approach to youth participation.
• For statistical purposes, the UN defines youth as individuals between the ages of 15 and 24. Youth do not constitute a homogeneous group; their socio-economic, demographic and geographical situations vary widely both within and between regions.

1. Identification and review of relevant documents on initiatives, programmes, projects etc. implemented in the countries over the last 5 years and ongoing, and where possible capturing upcoming initiatives where youth are involved or targeted.
2. Data collection approaches and tools, appropriate to allow for triangulation of findings
3. Data analysis techniques that are rich and informative to allow for quality decision-making.
4. Validation meetings for the results obtained.

This assessment will be conducted between February and April 2023.

8. Budget Considerations

The budget is expected to cover:

1. ) Field activities for data collection in at least 15% (8) of African countries, focusing on the EOA-I participating countries in Eastern Africa and Western Africa and randomly sampling from 7-10 countries from the other regions (Central, Southern and Northern Africa) including selection across the five categories of the policy study (Advanced EOA Sector, Active EOA Sector, Infant EOA Sector, Nascent EOA and Awaiting Inspiration) to sample of size of 15-20 countries.
2. Consultancy – Data collection, analysis, and reporting
3. Preparation, editing, design and layout of national and regional policy briefs

9. Consultants & Minimum Qualifications
The study will be conducted by a consultant or team of consultants with the team leader and partners having the following main qualifications:

• • At least a master’s degree or equivalent in agriculture, sociology, development studies, economics, or related social sciences.
  • At least 5 years of experience in conducting policy assessment/evaluations, policy impact assessments or similar assignments in agricultural development programmes and projects.
  • Demonstrated ability to assess complex situations to analyze critical issues succinctly and clearly and draw conclusions and recommendations.
  • Proven in-depth understanding and consulting experiences on institutional set-up of complex development programmes.
  • Substantive knowledge of participatory M&E processes and experience with multistakeholder/community development interventions.
  • Excellent English writing and communication skills.

10. How to apply
Interested candidates should submit the following:

1. A brief proposal indicating their understanding of the assignment and methodology including gender aspects and workplan for successfully conducting the study.
2. Financial proposal showing the cost of conducting the study, breakdown of consultancy costs and any other costs associated with this assignment.
3. At least one report of a similar assignment conducted in the past three years.
4. A concise curriculum vitae of the consultant(s), with at least one being a woman with a gender orientation. A gender balanced team would be preferred.
5. Names and contacts of three referees (phone numbers and email).
6. A one-page write-up showing why you are the most suitable team for the consultancy.

If you are interested in the above consultancy and can demonstrate your ability to meet the qualifications required, then submit your expression of interest with the above mentioned documents to info@eoai-africa.org with the subject heading: Consultancy for Role and Position of Youth in Agroecology/ Ecological Organic Agriculture in Africa.

The closing date for applications is 27th January 2023. Only shortlisted candidates will becontacted for interviews.

Biovision Africa Trust is an EOE