Consultancy at Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT)

Project: Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative

1. Background

The Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Initiative is an African Union-led continental undertaking currently implemented in eight countries (Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda). It 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 in order 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 EOA initiative was started in response to the African Union Heads of State and Government’s call for the promotion of organic farming in Africa. The African Union Commission, in collaboration with several civil society organizations supporting ecological organic agriculture, organized an inception workshop in May, 2011 in Thika Kenya, with financial support from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) to discuss how to implement this decision. The workshop successfully resulted in a roadmap, concept note and an African Organic Action Plan to mainstream ecological organic agriculture into national agricultural production systems. The action plan was later submitted to donor agencies for financial support, and with successful pilot activities in six countries (Eastern Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda; Southern Africa: Zambia; and Western Africa: Nigeria) supported by SSNC. Baseline studies coordinated by Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) were conducted in Benin, Mali and Senegal with support from SDC. Further planning meetings were held culminating in the development of an 8-country project proposal supported by SDC. SSNC with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation (Sida) supports EOA Initiative in Eastern Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania) through civil society organizations. The European Union also supports EOA through the African Union (AU).
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). The Initiative’s five-year Action Plan is anchored on six interrelated pillars: (i) Research, training and extension, (ii) Information and communication, (iii) Value chain and market development, (iv) Networking and partnership, (v) Policy and programme development, and (vi) Institutional capacity development. In the current SDC contribution,
the initiative is driven by the first three technical pillars and fourth one for coordination, management and networking (Support and Cementing pillar).

The four objectives of the EOA Initiative are:

1. To increase documentation of information and knowledge on organic agricultural products along the complete value chain and support relevant actors to translate it into practices and wide application.
2. To systematically inform producers about the EOA approaches and good practices and motivate their uptake through strengthening access to advisory and support services.
3. To substantially increase the share of quality organic products at the local, national, regional and global markets.
4. To strengthen inclusive stakeholder engagement in organic commodities value chain development by developing national, regional and continental multi-stakeholder platforms to advocate for changes in public policy, plans and practices.
The impact hypothesis of the initiative is that through the application of EOA best approaches and practices along the entire commodity value chains and their mainstreaming in development systems through National Platforms will realize improved food security, incomes and nutrition of smallholder households as well as the environmental sustainability of agricultural.
Implementation at country level is through Country Lead Organizations (CLOs) and their Pillar Implementing Partners (PIs) supposedly selected by their country national platforms, under the coordination of Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) and PELUM Kenya, as the coordinating organizations. The major activities in all the 8-country projects, include promoting interventions that bring about changes in various spheres, including public policies and investment plans, technical standards and certification procedures, research agenda and training curricula, advisory and information practices and the organization of markets and value chains. Achievement of this mainstreaming requires consultation and mutual agreement on coordinated and concerted action among the relevant public, private and civil society actors.
Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) is one of the leading organizations working with other partners and networks to support the development and growth of EOA Initiative in Africa.

About Biovision Africa Trust

Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) is a not-for-profit organization established in Kenya in 2009 by the Biovision Foundation for ecological development in Switzerland and located in the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi. The Trust’s goal is 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. BvAT provides the Secretariat to the Continental Steering Committee of the Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Initiative in Africa.
The EOA Secretariat provides support to the EOA Continental Steering Committee (CSC) chaired by the African Union Commission. The CSC consists of the Regional Economic Communities (RECS), education, research and training institutions, national organic agriculture institutions, certification bodies, private sector, farmer organizations, civil society, development partners among others.
The main functions of the EOA Secretariat include performing administrative and executive services for the EOA CSC related to:
a) Awareness raising of EOA agenda, brand and profile at continental level
b) Resource mobilisation and soliciting support for the EOA initiative in Africa
c) Overall program development guided by the Strategic Plan (2015-2025)
d) Providing oversight, advice and guidance, on the implementation of the Strategy
e) Ensuring wide stakeholder participation in EOA Initiative
As per the decision by the Continental Steering Committee (CSC), an organizational and capacity assessment is planned at the beginning of June 2017 and expected to be completed by end of August 2016.

2. Purpose of the Organizational and Capacity Assessment

BvAT on behalf the EOA CSC wishes to engage a consultant or team of consultants to carry out an organizational and capacity assessment of the country partners involved in implementation of the EOA-I. The purpose of the assignment is to assess each partner’s technical, human resources and organizational capacity, identify gaps in its ability to carry out its responsibility as a country lead organization (CLO) or pillar implementation partner (PIP), and draft recommendations for action plans. The main focus of the assessment is on the partner’s capacity to plan, implement, monitor programmes and respond to expectations of the EOA initiative.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TASK

The overall aim of this task is to undertake due diligence capacity assessment of country partners involved in implementation of the EOA Initiative in order to identify what key capacities already exist and what additional capacities may be needed to reach objectives, gaps and weaknesses and provide recommendations leading to action plans to address them. Four years after the beginning of the formal implementation of EOA, it has been noted through monitoring visits and mid-term assessment that assumptions made in selection of CLOs and PIPs may have been faulty and that there are various weakness inhibiting the partners from delivering efficiently and effectively. An analysis of existing capacities to provide an understanding of the preparedness of the key implementing partners and serve as input for action plan to address weaknesses and optimize on the existing capacities is required. It is anticipated that the assessment will also provide baseline for continuous monitoring and evaluation of progress against relevant indicators and help create a solid foundation for long-term planning, implementation and sustainable results.

3. Key Focus Areas

Specifically, this consultancy will undertake the following tasks:
a) Examine and assess the reliability and relevance of the governance of the Organisation, the decision making structure and the setup of checks and balances;
b) Examine and assess the reliability and relevance of the systems for operational and financial controls that exist in each partner organization;
c) Assess the individual and organisational capabilities, whether the organization has the right personnel with technical competence and organizational capacity to manage and implement project activities from planning to monitoring and evaluation;
d) Provide recommendations to each partner organisation for improvement of its governance, systems and management, organizational capabilities for technical and organizational improvement and strengthening.

Specifically, special emphasis was to be placed on the following:

a) Management and Control of Activities

• The organization mandate (from whom, how, when, in relation to target group);
• The role of the governing board and members;
• The role of director/CEO of the organization (e.g. recruitment, mandate, accountability);
• Organizational structure, checks and balances and ways of working e.g. decision-making procedures;
• Operational planning, follow-ups and reporting of implementation reports on deviations;
• Follow-up of contributions from donors;
• Evaluation of results;
• Implementation and usage of lessons learnt.

b) Financial Management

• Follow-up of contractual obligations in Agreements of co-operation;
• System and routines for sub-granting;
• Transfers of funds, Bank and cash management and Bank reconciliations;
• Project management systems and charts of accounts and Book keeping system;
• Budgeting and budgets follow-ups;
• Audit in all parts of the organization including in case of sub-granting;
• Resources/competence to act on received audit reports;
• Promoting leadership of good administration, transparency in the administration of funds, anti-corruption policy and counteraction of corruption.

c) Technical and Organisational capabilities to implement projects

• Undertake a capabilities audit taking into account technical and social dimensions across individuals and the organization to provide a high-level picture of the organization’s strengths and areas for improvement. In particular, assess:
o Collective skills, abilities, and expertise of the organization (such capacity being the outcome of investments in staffing, training, compensation, communication, and other human resources areas)
o The capacity to access, generate, manage and exchange relevant knowledge and to adapt it to local conditions;
o The capacity to connect, to advocate and engage in networks, alliances and partnerships with regional, national and local actors;
o The capacity to manage and implement programmes from planning to monitoring and evaluation of impacts.

d) The challenges facing partner organizations in project implementation

• Identify the challenges experienced and perceived by the partner organizations limiting their effective project implementation and hence affecting their readiness to fulfil their roles and responsibilities in EOA

e) Other aspects to be described

• The organization’s systems and routines for procurement as well as adherence to approved rules;
• Mapping of the most important dilemmas or conflicts in case of having several donors each with its own requirements and time frames.

4. The Assessment Deliverables/Outputs

The Assessment’s findings and recommendations will be discussed with the AUC, the Continental Steering Committee (CSC) and CLOs. The consultant will submit a draft final report in both hard and soft copy at the end of the assessment. The expected key outputs of the assessment are:
(a) An inception report: Elaboration of the assessment methodology and tools including a detailed schedule of activities to be undertaken across the eight countries (work plan).
(b) An Aide Memoire (intermediate report with key findings and recommendations).
(c) The Organizational and Capacity Assessment Draft and Final Reports: The report should be logically structured including the executive summary, intervention description, assessment purpose, assessment methodology, findings, conclusions, lessons and recommendations, and annexes (key officials interviewed, documents consulted, and data collection instruments). The report should respond in detail to the key focus
areas described above. It should include a set of specific recommendations for each EOA implementing partner, and identify the necessary actions to be undertaken.
(d) A Summary of the Organizational and Capacity Assessment Report.

5. Background Documents

Various materials will be useful to this assessment including but not limited to:

o AU Decision on Organic Farming
o EOA Strategic Plan (2015-2025) and EOA Action Plan (2015-2020)
o SDC and SSNC Project Documents (for the period 2013-2018)
o Project Logframes (Consolidated country logframes)
o Baseline Survey Reports 2014 (Benin, Mali and Senegal)
o Project Country and Consolidated Annual Reports (2014 and 2015)
o Minutes of the Continental Steering Committee meetings (2013-2016)
o Report of the Assessment of SSNC contribution to EOA in Eastern Africa
o African Organic Conference Declarations (2012 and 2015)
o Mid-term Review Report

6. Methodology

A detailed step-by-step guide to conducting a capacity assessment will be required.
The assessment will adopt a consultative and participative approach to develop an appropriate evaluation methodology to address the evaluation objectives. The approach adopted should demonstrate a close link between the data collected for an evaluation and the methodology that will be employed to ensure the findings are unbiased. This will include field visits to Country Lead Organizations (CLOs) and their Pillar Implementing Partners (PIPs) in each of the 8 countries (Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda). If necessary, the assessment team may also meet other agencies/projects engaged in similar interventions. The consultant will start with a meeting at latest in mid-June at Biovision Africa Trust. The consultants will be required to discuss and finalize the data collection tools and success indicators in consultation with BvAT on behalf of the Continental Steering Committee. BvAT, on behalf of the CSC, will work closely with the consultant to deliver on the assignment in time.

7. Consultants & Minimum Qualifications

The assessment 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 10 years of experience in conducting midterm assessment/evaluations, 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.
• Consultants with base or partners in Eastern Africa and Western Africa will be encouraged.
• Excellent English, and to some extent French, writing and communication skills. The reports will be translated into French.

The consultant(s) should not have been engaged in the activities to be evaluated, or responsible in decision-making roles for the design, implementation or supervision of the EOA project. The exercise will require impartiality and a comprehensive and balanced appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the project and implementation of activities being evaluated. The selected consultant(s) will be expected to adhere to a code of conduct (Statement on Ethics), and conduct self/ themselves according to the expected ethical standards.