Consultant To Conduct A Climate Vulnerability Assessment And Develop & Train Farmers On Place-based Climate Smart Practices

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Learn more about Solidaridad East and Central Africa
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About Solidaridad
Solidaridad East and Central Africa is a not-for-profit organisation based in Nairobi, Kenya that strives to be an organisation that understands the signs of modern times. Established in 2008 Solidaridad ECA is part of Solidaridad Network, a Dutch based development organisation operating in five continents through eight Regional Expertise Centres. With its network secretariat in The Netherlands, Solidaridad has over 50 years of global experience working in the development of profitable supply chains and creating sustainable businesses and livelihoods. Solidaridad envisions a world in which all we produce, and all we consume can sustain us while respecting the planet, each other and the next generations. Solidaridad embraces the public-private partnerships in order to innovate, speeding up change and taking success to scale. Globally, Solidaridad works across 13 commodities / sectors. Coffee is one of them.

For more information, please refer to http://www.solidaridadnetwork.org

1.1 Introduction

Kenya’s coffee production continues to be increasingly smallholder dominated as large plantations, especially in the growing areas that border urban centres give way to housing developments. Both National and County governments are promoting coffee farming in non-traditional coffee growing areas as well as the rehabilitation of abandoned farms to ensure sustained production. The total area under coffee is estimated at 160,000 hectares, about one third of which is the plantation sector and the rest under the smallholder sector with an estimated 700,000 growers.

1.2 Project Summary

The shift toward sustainable food consumption patterns and preferences is attributed to the health and environmental risks associated with some harmful farming practises in conventional agriculture, including use of synthetic fertilisers or harmful pesticides. To meet this growing demand for sustainable products and services, more retailers are increasingly sourcing for organic produce. Through the Traceable Organic Coffee from Kenya Project (TRACE Kenya), small-holder farmers (30% women and 10 % men) in Kericho, Nandi and Bungoma counties are gradually converting into organic coffee production. Our approach is focused on capacity building initiatives and interactive training on innovative farming practises, facilitating access to high yielding and disease resistant coffee varieties and promoting eco-friendly technologies in organic coffee production.

Adoption of organic agricultural practises is slowly stimulating development of organic inputs supply chains and innovations as well as improved coffee quality and volumes increasing farmer incomes and creating new job opportunities. In addition, the youth are being equipped with the right skills to enable them to pursue economic opportunities on and off the farm in relation to coffee production. Within the Kenyan coffee sector, the trend towards organic and sustainable practises is a strategic move that allows more local farmers to access the competitive high value markets while contributing to reduction of the associated health risks and negative environmental impacts and promoting sustainable use of the earth’s resources.

Our partner African Coffee Roasters EPZ Limited (ACR) is committed to adding value by locally roasting certified organic coffee and producing sustainable coffee brands for their clients in Europe and beyond. The project’s ultimate innovation is not only in the delivery of the first organic certified Kenyan coffee from small-holder farmer cooperatives to global consumers but also to improve their productivity and quality of coffee produced after the transition.

Through our new partnership (in 2022) with Twisted Leaf, the TRACE Kenya project will integrate interventions that will allow for utilisation of dried organic certified coffee leaves in the manufacture of beverages. This diversification approach will make it possible for smallholder coffee farmers to earn extra income from selling both certified cherry/green bean and dried coffee leaves. Implementing this new model alongside climate-smart farming practises and the introduction of smallholder coffee farmers to carbon trading through the ACORN Platform, will not only improve circularity and biodiversity but also create additional revenue streams for thousands of smallholder farmers in Kenya.

2.0 Assignment Objective (s)

The impacts of climate change are already widespread and the consequences have been witnessed all around the world. Any fluctuations in temperature, rainfall, humidity, soil nutrients, moisture, sunlight, aeration and soil temperature have a direct impact on the growth and productivity of coffee plants. Hence, adaptation of mitigation strategies involving actions to reduce global warming is an important option to overcome the impact of climate variations on coffee production. In response, Solidaridad through the TRACE Kenya Project seeks to:

Conduct a Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) - This will help identify the degree to which the system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change including climate variability and extremes. The goal is to reduce vulnerability to the harmful effects of climate change as well as identify the gaps and opportunities for the uptake of Climate Smart Practises in Organic Coffee Farming. This CVA should be finalised by 30th of March 2022.**
Develop a profile of place based Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practises (soil practises, agroforestry measures etc.) aimed at adaptation, increased incomes and carbon sequestration and improved biodiversity. These practises will be incorporated into the existing organic coffee farming training manual, to be completed by 30th of April 2022.
Train ToTs/Farmers on the CSA practises, carbon farming, carbon credits and carbon trading. The delivery of these training will be finalised by 1st of June 2022.
It is on this basis that Solidaridad seeks to recruit a qualified firm/ consultant to execute the above objectives across 3 counties and 10 cooperatives in the west of the rift, Bungoma, Kericho and Nandi.

3.0 Expected outputs & Deliverables

The consultant is expected to deliver following outputs:

a) Conduct a Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) to ascertain the risks and vulnerabilities of the coffee system and coffee farmers in the target areas.

b) Organise workshops (1 per county) to validate and share the findings of the CVA.

c) Develop a profile of place - based adaptation practises that would optimise climate risk responsive farm practises. This should contribute to among others, increased incomes, carbon sequestration and improved biodiversity.

d) Incorporate the practises in c) above into the existing Solidaridad organic training manual.

e) Train existing ToTs (100) on the additional CSA practises.

f) Train existing ToTs (100) on carbon farming practises, carbon trade and position it as an additional income generating activity. Farmers can benefit from this venture as an additional revenue stream.

5.1 Coordination and Cooperation

● The Consultant undertaking the study will work under the coordination of Solidaridad (ECA)

6.1 Inputs

a) Solidaridad shall provide the consultant with background information on the TRACE Kenya Project.

b) Solidaridad shall introduce the consultant to the relevant Project team for preparatory planning. It will be the responsibility of the consultant to make contact with any external relevant organisation while keeping Solidaridad in correspondence

c) The consultant is expected to refer and adhere to statutory regulations of the Cooperative Act in Kenya.

d) Solidaridad in consultation with project partners shall mobilise and avail trainees for the particular exercise as per the schedule shared by the consultant.

7.0 Duration of the Assignment

This assignment shall run from February 2022 to June 2022.

8.0 Experts/Consultant’s;

Develop a comprehensive expression of interest (E.O.I) outlining:

• A short profile of the firm/consultant

• Firm/Consultants statement on the interpretation of the TOR, methodology of execution, work plan and budget

• Curriculum Vitae (s) of consultant /firm outlining qualifications and experience in training and operationalization of Internal Control Systems for any certification in coffee

• At least a references of similar assignments undertaken in the last 3 years

• It is desirable if the consultant has previous experience in organic certification and working with certification bodies in Kenya.

7.0 Submission deadline

The consultant is required to submit the E.O.I by the 20th of February 2022.

Submissions are by email to procurement.eca@solidaridadnetwork.org while addressed to:

The Regional Director

Solidaridad Eastern & Central Africa Expertise Centre

Kilimani Business Centre, Kirichwa Road,

P.O Box 42234 - 00100 GPO Nairobi.