High Mountain Agribusiness and Livelihood Improvement (HIMALI) Project - Agribusiness Capacity Development

The project will seek to reduce poverty in highland areas, by improving income, employment opportunities and the nutritional status of poor farm families and women in particular; and by increasing the productivity of the livestock subsector. The Agribusiness Capacity Development consultant will provide an agribusiness capacity development team comprising of three national experts. Reporting to the Project Director, the expert will provide capacity development training and support to the AEC and District NGO service providers, and District DLS and DOA staff to effectively mobilize and deliver agribusiness development services to beneficiaries in the 10 project districts. The Consultant will enhance the capacity of: the district NGO service providers in their tasks of project promotion, social mobilization, identification of interest groups, and conduct of environmental and social safeguards due diligence; and the regional and district AEC Agribusiness Planning advisors in delivery of agribusiness planning services to identified commercial groups and enterprises, including strengthening market linkages. The expert will review existing information and provide training on identified markets and viable opportunities in agricultural value chains, utilizing the available recent study reports from SNV, the HIMALI PPTA, ICIMOD and other sources. In the first two years of project implementation, the consultant will provide direct field mentoring to the district AEC and NGO service providers in the processes of identifying and strengthening farmer groups and transforming them into legally registered and capable commercial entities, completing the business planning, financial, social and environmental due diligence required for Agribusiness Grant applications. The Consultant2 will work closely with the AEC Agribusiness Planning Specialists, district MOAC staff and the participating district MOAC research centers in strengthening value chain linkages, especially in product aggregation and marketing (including collection and distribution hubs); value-adding and processing (including seed processing at Radjikot, wool collection and processing at Guthichaur, and other MOAC potential public-private partnership support); organic, fair trade and FSC certification opportunities; and in equitable commercial contracts between farmers and buyers. The Consultant2 will collaborate with the PMU in project management operational processes of implementation planning, monitoring and reporting. The Expert will be located in the PMU with at least 50% of time in the 10 project districts. Provide overall leadership for supervision and coordination of activities of the District Capacity specialists, including jointly formulating individual work plans consistent with those of the Project; Ensure that District Capacity specialists deliver the specified services according to their TOR ensure quality control of the outputs; Ensure the outputs with MOAC are delivered in a professional and timely manner, including submission of the reports listed in the Reporting Requirements; Under direction of the Project Director, participate in work planning meetings to ensure coordination of inputs with the PMU consultant team, AEC and District NGOs; v)In the first month, review the agribusiness value chain analysis report of the HIMALI PPTA and related studies by other agencies; Within the first 6 weeks, identify the capacity development needs of the AEC and District NGO staff in: (i) inclusive agribusiness and value chain development; (ii) project promotion, social mobilization and environmental and social safeguards due diligence; and (iii) project management Within the first 6 weeks, prepare a capacity building program for the AEC and District NGO staff covering the start-up 18 months of the project, in close consultation with the AEC, PMU and District NGOs, and submit this to the Project Director for approval to implement; Prepare workshop training material and organize in-service mentoring for the project's District AEC and NGO staff for capacity development; Provide technical training and support to AEC and District NGO staff to ensure that the project is demand-driven by farmer groups and agribusiness, and is oriented to market demand, not supply driven. The backstopping will include advising, mentoring training and supporting communication and the AEC business development planning services delivery, means of forward and backward value chain linkages such as contracts and other approaches. During implementation this will include advice, in collaboration with AEC, to contracted service providers to execute in line with the vision of the project and the contract.   Assist the Project Director, District NGOs and AEC to plan and implement the Stakeholder Communication Strategy, including preparation and dissemination of promotion and information materials, via print, local mechanisms and local radio;