Consultancy for Climate Academy Guide Development at Fairtrade International

OBJECTIVES OF THE OVERALL PROJECT

The Climate Academy aims to increase the climate change resilience of coffee farmers, organised in SPOs, through training and subsequent application of insights, skills and techniques designed to better adapt to climate change. Farmers learn from experts and from each other (Farmer field school methodology). The project results in a Climate Academy Guide which will be made available for other coffee SPOs.

In parallel a communication program called Coffee to Stay will be carried out in the Netherlands. This program raises awareness on the dramatic impact of climate change for small-scale coffee farmers. It builds on the experiences generated in the Climate Academy. Coffee of from Fairtrade certified Machakos Union serves as a vehicle to bring the message to the public.

Key pillars and objectives of Coffee Farmers in Dire Straits:

Climate Academy

• Coffee SPOs have improved their institutional and management capacity to enable them to make decisions and take action to more effectively tackle climate change
• Improved farmer’s resilience to climate change through sustainable agricultural land management practices and Disaster Risk Management
• Increased opportunities for Machakos Union, selected primary societies and women members to promote an energy switch to renewable energy
• Increased opportunities for households of smallholder coffee farmers to diversify and engage in alternative income generating activities
• Monitoring, evaluation and upscaling: the Climate Academy Guide

Coffee to Stay

The Fairtrade Week of autumn 2017 is turned into a Fairtrade Climate week, focused spiralling around the Climate Academy carried out in Kenya.

 PROJECT COMPOSITION AND TIMELINE

The project consists of two main implementation parts.

Climate Academy

Machakos program – running from March 2017 until February 2019.

Phase 2 and 3 (foreseen in Kenya and Ethiopia) – running from February 2018 to February 2020.

Development Climate Academy Guide – between December 2017 and April 2018

Coffee to Stay

Communication Campaigns in the Netherlands. Emphasis from October to December 2017. In 2018 and 2019 activities will be repeated, with content following the developments in the Climate Academy execution.           

CONTEXT TO COFFEE IN DIRE STRAITS & THE CLIMATE ACADEMY

 The focus area for this Terms of Reference is the Climate Academy Guide.

This guide is scheduled to be rolled out for use in Phase 2 and Phase 3 in April 2018 to September 2019.  

However, the design and development of the guide is expected to be as a result of learnings from the ongoing work within the initial site for the project: Machakos Union and select Primary Cooperatives, as well as knowledge of the consultants and application of the Fairtrade approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The guide should ensure that it includes a participatory approach that includes producers’ indigenous knowledge, existing coping mechanisms as well as methodologies to improve resilience to climate change. The guide should ensure that the output from its use is both systemic and makes best use of existing structures/resources, with the modest budget available for adaptation and mitigation work.

  OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY SERVICE

 The objective of this consultancy is to lead the design and inception-phase of implementation of the Climate Academy Guide (implementation of the Guide being inception of Phase 2 and 3).

The Climate Academy Guide must be coherent with the requirements of producers as well as align with the Fairtrade Africa Approach to Climate Change. The guide should be practical in its design, easy to follow and include self- driven programmes that can be implemented by the producer organisations directly, without too much additional assistance from external parties. Most importantly, the guide should reflect a realistic combination of deliverables in line with available budgets.

SPECIFIC TASKS TO BE DONE BY THE CONSULTANT 

 The consultant will be expected to undertake the following tasks:

• (As preparation) assess and analyse existing climate adaptation documentation from Fairtrade Africa, We Effect and Fairtrade International and digest requirements for organisational strengthening and climate resilience. 
• Form links with lead contact points in Fairtrade Africa, We Effect and SMH as well as Machakos Cooperative Union and primary cooperatives.
• Conduct a field visit immediately upon being hired to gather relevant information to inform programme design and get context of small holder coffee farmers.
• Develop the climate academy guide; Present draft version of guide to Fairtrade Africa, Machakos Cooperative Union, We Effect and SMH by Feb 15th 2018.Revise draft per feedback given and work with design team to finalise guide which will then be presented by end of March 2018 for implementation in Phase 2 and Phase 3 in April 2018.

DELIVERABLES

• Inception report from the review of documentation and interviews including a clear methodology and work plan.
• Draft presentations of the tools and scalable practices (indigenous knowledge, coping mechanisms etc.) from the programme design; friendly and easily adaptable to Small Producers Organizations(SPOs) use
• Detailed practical and guiding budget, activity timeline and other tools needed to implement the guide with SPOs.
• Mechanisms for follow up and monitoring suggested to enhance accountability.
• Final climate academy guide (not more than 50 pages).

 TIMELINES

•  December – February15th 2018: Scoping and draft presentation
• 15th February to 25th:  March 2018: finalisation, design and printing
• April 2017:  rollout and use of Guide in Phase 2 and Phase 3

 MINIMUM REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

• At least a Master’s degree in a relevant field such as climate change and/or environment/natural resources management, economics, agriculture/rural development, economics/sociology or related areas.
• At least 10 years’ experience in one or more of the following areas: climate change finance, climate change mitigation and/or climate change adaptation.
• Experience of at least two assignments of a similar nature in East and central Africa
• Proven ability and experience in developing training materials and facilitating training workshops on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams
• Excellent communication skills with ability to express ideas clearly, concisely and effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Fluency in English, and functional use of Kiswahili will be an added advantage.