Kenya: Consultancy - Livestock Value Chain study for REGAL-IR Project in Kenya

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND:

Adeso is an expanding and vibrant African-based international development and humanitarian organization. We assist communities to help them realize their full potential, working alongside them to create facilitative environments in which they can thrive. Our belief that economic, social and environmental security is the bedrock of a healthy community drives the nature and intent of our programming. We work to prevent and overcome situations that adversely affect community well-being by reinvigorating the economy, developing skills for life and work, providing developmental assistance, and influencing policy.

For the past 20 years we have strengthened rural livelihoods through environmental awareness, training, technology transfer and innovative humanitarian projects in pursuit of a peaceful, self-reliant, and greener future. Currently, Adeso implements programs in Somalia, Kenya and South Sudan. Adeso is an exciting and dynamic organization experiencing managed rapid growth. It offers sound employment conditions with opportunities for personal growth and development.

PROJECT SUMMARY:

Resilience and Economic Growth in Arid Lands-Improving Resilience in Kenya (REGAL-IR) is a 5-year program sponsored by USAID/Kenya and Feed the Future (FTF) to reduce hunger and poverty, increase social stability and build strong foundations for economic growth amongst pastoralists and transitioning pastoralists in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). The program is designed to empower communities to take charge of their development and to strengthen their capacity to select, design, implement and monitor activities toward increasing their social, economic, and environmental resilience to natural and human-induced shocks.

REGAL-IR is led by Adeso and implemented by a consortium of partners. The project focuses on engaging communities and strengthening local institutions to improve their social, economic, and environmental resilience. It has six thematic areas:

· Strengthening and diversifying livelihood opportunities

· Advancing value chain inclusiveness

· Improving management and productivity of natural resources

· Improving conflict management

· Improving drought management

· Improving consumption of nutritious foods

An intensive community engagement process - Participatory Learning, Planning and Action (PLPA) - guides program implementation in the six thematic areas above and in 5 Counties: Isiolo, Garissa, Wajir, Marsabit, and Turkana. REGAL-IR situates its efforts within those of a larger family of resilience actors including REGAL-AG, the Millennium Water Alliance, and World Food Program.

CONSULTANCY DESCRIPTION:

REGAL-IR intends to develop and promote profitable livestock value chain enterprises to provide increased incomes at household level, create more employment opportunities, and have important spin-off effects on the local economy. The livestock value chains in Turkana, Garissa and Wajir are significant for the livelihoods of the entire population. Despite its potential, the predominantly pastoral livestock sector is affected by constraints including access to animal health care, declining feed resources resulting in extensive degradation of the rangelands, low productivity worsened by recurrent droughts, poor marketability of products, and lack of organization of actors along the livestock value chain. Many of these constraints also derive from severe capacity limitations. To achieve the goals of an improved livestock value chain, strategies to exploit the potential of livestock production under this pastoral system that is undergoing rapid changes with regard to climate and land tenure are needed.

The consultant(s) will review and map livestock value chains to identify weaknesses and opportunities for support at product, process, technological, institutional and market levels. The consultant(s) will assess opportunities and recommend specific livestock value chains with potential benefits to producers and actors within the chain. As a result of the mapping and analysis, the consultant(s) will identify key areas of opportunity within the value chain and propose programs to unlock those opportunities.

The key audience of the study is the local communities of the project area, livestock value chains actors and potential investors, since the study will help them to understand the local market dynamics. Additionally, the assessment report will be of significant use to multiple stakeholders including decision makers, public policy makers and non-governmental organisations implementing livestock projects within the ASALs. The study findings will be used to raise the awareness level of the policy makers at the strategic, tactical and operational levels and propose alternative mechanisms for pastoralists to better their livelihood options.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The overall objective isto undertake livestock value chains study in three counties of NorthernKenya.

The specific objectives will be:

· To collect relevant data on identified value chains that include volumes / quantities, prices, actors involved (including women/youth).

· To identify the key constraints that need to be addressed to turn the value chains into robust market oriented value chains.

· To make recommendations how the proposed value chains will be supported and therefore become more robust.

· To prioritize the value chains based on their potential to generate impact.

· To map out the supply chain within the livestock value chains in the five counties.

These objectives will be achieved by:

· Reviewing value chain studies carried out by other actors which include ASDSP, Oxfam and Arid Lands Resource Project.

· Primary data collection in the following sub-studies:

I. Products.

The consultant(s) will characterize trade of various products within the respective value chains by identifying:

a. Supply chain of the products.

b. Volumes of each product availed in the market.

c. Value addition, Packaging and pricing along the supply chain.

d. Consumer perceptions.

e. Estimate the market potential and actors at the end market.

f. Characteristics of supply chain actors.

g. Relationship among supply chain actors.

h. Linkage between producers, traders and processors.

II. Market Potential:

a. Establish market size (local and external) and extent of market penetration by local producers

b. Conduct a value chain analysis to identify the different actors in the chain, systemic constraints, and value shares accrued a t different stages on the chain.

c. Identify constraints that limit market growth.

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d. Missing or inadequate inter sectoral or crosscutting markets.

e. Estimate market potential of the prioritized products within the value chains.

f. Identify the end markets locally / externally for the identified products.

III.Collective Marketing and chain efficiency

a. Assess the utility and potential for improving market efficiency through collective marketing; propose ways of achieving this and minimum quality standards required.

b. Establish existence of any producer groups for the various products.

c. Determine the level of market orientation and market integration by producers.

d. Recommend process for institutional formation to facilitate collective marketing perspective for the products prioritized.

e. Suggest improvements in the value chain system to ensure direct linkages of the pastoralists with the major markets and increased incomes from their products.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

Value chain analysis report which shall also comprise:

· County specific priority value chains with justification.

· In-depth analysis of the livestock value chain, including proposed intervention plan (program) designs for engagement.

· Supply chain map, identifying the market actors, establishing value shares at each stage in the supply chain.

· Market size and level of market penetration by producers.

· Recommendations on sustainability of the market for selected products and requirements for producers to sustain production in the medium to long term.

QUALIFICATION PROFILE

The ideal candidate(s) for this assignment should have the competencies and experiences as indicated below:

· Proven track record in value chain development, market systems development and business development services (BDS).

· Demonstrable ability to work and link with the private sector and relevant government departments.

· Proven experience in undertaking value chain assessments.

· Experience working in the ASALs.

CONSULTANCY PROPOSAL

The proposal, to be submitted in English, shall include three parts:

A)A technical proposal incorporating;

i.A short description of deliverables, clear work plan (dates and activities) with a proposed methodology and full justification for procedures to be adopted;

ii.CVs/Profile of the firm or individuals to be engaged including experience relevant to this assignment;

iii.At least three referees for similar or related work completed.

B)A financial proposal indicating fees for the consultancy, including all costs to conduct this assignment (man-days and fees including VAT).

C) A sample of a recently written report for a similar assignment.

Applications should be submitted by 26th September 2014. The selection committee will review all applications as they arrive. All applicants must meet the minimum requirements described above, those unable to meet these requirements will not be considered. Adeso is an equal opportunity employer.

Applications not including all of the above information will not be reviewed.

All applications should be sent to Adeso at consultancy@adesoafrica.org with the subject line:

Application for Livestock Value Chain Study, REGAL-IR