- BACKGROUND
African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS – www.afaas-africa.org) is a Continental body that brings National Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (AEAS) stakeholders under one umbrella. AFAAS desires to ensure enhanced competency of Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (AEAS) providers to enable them to better address the increasing needs and demands of various value chain actors.
The AFAAS Vision is: “Agricultural Advisory Services that effectively and efficiently contribute to sustained productivity, profitability and growth of African agriculture for poverty reduction”; Mission is: “Promote lesson learning and professionalism, and add value to national AEAS systems”, while the Goal is “Enhanced utilization of improved knowledge and innovations by agricultural value chain actors for improving productivity oriented towards their individual and national development objectives”. AFAAS’ three strategic pillars are: i) Strengthening and expanding network and knowledge management capacities; ii) Developing capacities for scaling out technologies and innovations; and iii) Facilitating advancement of AEAS.
AFAAS with financial support from GIZ is implementing the “Agroecological Transition, Responsive Extension Approaches (ATREA)” project to ultimately contribute towards the global effort in food systems through Agroecology responsive Extension and Advisory Services (EAS) in Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Madagascar. In order to change the paradigm that drives most current EAS activities, a holistic food system philosophy is needed, including sustainable livelihoods, market access, environmental protection, social equity, and inclusion. A paradigm, grounded in agroecology is a clear alternative to the current “productivist” focus on consolidation, simplification, commodification and industrialization. Achieving this shift involves the co-creation and sharing of local, traditional, and indigenous knowledge to a system integration. It includes members of the food system, from the field to the table, participating in the design of EAS with various categories of value chain actors such as: producers, especially women, youth, migrants, indigenous people, and other vulnerable groups. Therefore, its agroecological paradigm that is built on a people-centered and relationship-based food system where environmental soundness and social fairness merge in the transition to sustainability.
AFAAS therefore seeks to recruit two (2) Associate Researchers/Consultants to support the “Identification and documentation of sustainable, inclusive and responsive extension approaches for Agroecological Transition among target countries of Kenya, Benin, Madagascar and Ethiopia (French and English Speaking) and make a comparative study/analysis of the approaches that make farmers stay motivated in sharing their experiences, contribute to an agroecological transition of agri-food systems from bottom-up and also enhance the collaboration between researchers, extensionists and farmers.
- OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The overall objective of the assignment is to support the identification, documentation and comparison for extension approaches for Agroecological Transition within the target countries that keep farmers engaged in extension approaches that help integrate farmers further into exchanges with researchers and extensionists.
The specific objectives are:
- To support identify extension approaches that keep farmers engaged in extension approaches such as Farmer Filed Schools (FFS), Farmer Business School (FBS), Farmer to Fork (F2F) etc;
- To support document extension approaches that integrate farmers further into exchanges with researchers and extensionists;
To contribute to the comparative study/analysis of the extension approaches for Agroecological Transition within the target countries and document lessons any recommendations.
- SCOPE OF WORK
The/Consultants shall be expected to carry out the following activities/tasks:
- Conduct desk research on the relevant matters of the studies, academic research, historical research and other relevant materials, in context of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P),
- Lead in the development of research tools and guides to contribute to the reports and studies.
- Contribute to in-person consultation meetings and provide technical input,
- Tailor tools for application of relevant agroecological principles to develop extension approaches in terms of Incentives, Costs, Obstacles, Agroecological Principles, Adoption/Sustainability and Scalability across agroecological zones and food systems.
- Coordinate data collection with Country teams.
- Conduct data analysis and draft reports in liaison with the lead researcher/consultant
- Participate in virtual and in person exchange sessions supported by AFAAS network;
- Contribute to the preparation of the journal articles;
- Contribute to the collection of good practices for specific extension approaches (FBS, FFS, F-F), and lead in the Development of Factsheets;
- Coordinate in planning and participate in dialogue sessions or “labs” between extension services – research – farmers;
- Conduct trainings for Country research team on different diffusion tools accessible for farmers;
- Contribute in summarizing all learnings, similarities and differences between the four extension systems in the four countries;
- Support AFAAS and CFs to synthesize contents from the platform into knowledge and communication products for dissemination
- Support in the writing of the final report to be submitted to the donors.
- KEY DELIVERABLES
The consultant will be required to provide the following outputs during the execution of the assignment.
- Inception Report, detailing the methodology and workplan showing the agreed dates of delivery of the specified deliverables,
- Conceptual Framework based on Agroecology assessment tool adapted and to be administered at CF level
- Research Methodology and tools for AE Respective AEAS
- Draft report on the state of extension approaches in the Countries in the context of Agro Ecology
- Data on Agroecology and AEAS approaches – file / CD/ Drive.
- Final report with the key deliverables; Country reports on EAS comparisons in the four countries;
- Final comprehensive report on the Agro Ecological Extension Approaches in the four countries. report
- Country Synthesis reports (Maximum of 10 pages each).
- TERMS OF PAYMENT
The consultant shall be paid in four (4) instalments upon submission of the inception report, progress report and the final reports with key deliverables and country comparative reports in the four countries.
All reimbursables shall be agreed, discussed and approved by AFAAS management.
- DURATION
The Researcher/Consultant services shall be required for a period of five months, spread through March – December 2023.
- REPORTING AND ADMINISTRATION
The consultants shall report to the AFAAS Executive Director, through the Director Programmes (DP) on the assignment and all other logistics until the deliverables are submitted as required. The consultants shall work closely with AFAAS program staff especially, the Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Expert – Project Coordinator – on administrative matters.
- LOCATION
The Associate Researchers shall work remotely in the performance of their research and or physically at the AFAAS Secretariat, in Kampala where necessary. Any travel necessary for the successful completion of the assignment, will be paid in accordance with the AFAAS Rules and Regulations upon prior authorization by Contract supervisor.
- PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
The Consultants ae expected to undertake the services with the highest standards of professionalism and ethics, competence and integrity. He/she should be able to deliver the listed assignments in Section 3 in a most effective and efficient manner, within the period of assignment stated in Section 6.
- QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIRED SKILLS
The Researcher/Consultant to undertake the assignment shall demonstrate the following qualifications, experience and competences to execute the assignment successfully and shall form the basis for selection.
- Minimum of Master’s University degree in Agricultural Extension. A Bachelor’s degree in relevant fields is a must. PhD in Agricultural Extension is an added advantage;
- Experience of a minimum of 10 years working within international organizations, academia, research institutes, or other relevant organizations;
- Evidence of published agroecological related papers in peer review journals
- Demonstrated experience and knowledge in Qualitative data analysis especially using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P)
- Demonstrated knowledge in the work of the AFAAS, with preference in policy studies;
- Demonstrated knowledge in the work of the AFAAS, with preference in related policy studies;
- Demonstrated experience in writing and editing research reports;
- Excellent analytical skills;
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and French;
- Able to work efficiently and promptly with team members and stakeholders spread in target Countries;
- Good computer skills, including use of MS Word, MS Excel and use of email/Skype/SMS/instant messaging as primary means of communication;
Deadline: 11 April 2023
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TORS: [wpdm_package id=’6048′]
COI: [wpdm_package id=’6046′]