Rapid Action Research for Market Systems Intervention Design in Dadaab at International Labor Organization (ILO)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

The ILO, in collaboration with the UNHCR, conducted a market systems development analysis in the Dadaab region entitled “Doing Business in Dadaab – Market Systems Analysis for Local Economic Development in Dadaab”, published in April 2019. In the context of the Dutch Partnership, the recommendations from the report will be translated into market systems development interventions, with the aim of strengthening the local market system and, more specifically, the agriculture and waste management sectors, which have been identified as having high potential for the creation of economic and employment opportunity in Dadaab.

Key Findings and Recommendations of the Assessment

The market systems analysis identifies two sectors with potential to create employment and economic opportunity for host communities and refugees: (i) agriculture and (ii) waste management. Following a socio-economic assessment detailing the skills and competencies of refugees and host communities, an analysis of the market system elucidates the regulatory realities of doing business in Dadaab as well as the availability and accessibility of market supporting functions such as access to finance and other business development services for host and refugee communities. Combined with an in-depth analysis of the two selected sectors, the key findings of the assessment are:

• The agricultural sector is growing in Dadaab as refugees and host communities are increasingly turning toward farming to increase their income and demand for fresh fruit and vegetable is substantial. The availability of water through extensive boreholes (dug in and around the camps but now unused as 2 of 5 camps were shut down), communal land, and high market demand for fresh fruit and vegetable (as this is not part of refugees’ food rations) make farming quite profitable or both host communities and refugees. In order to improve the functioning of the sector and the local populations’ access to economic opportunities in the sector, the following gaps will need to be addressed: improving farming skills, clarifying rights to land usage and the viability of joint land use, and strengthening linkages between local farmers and off-taker markets.
• The waste management sector is still in its infancy and would require longer-term investments in order for substantive employment creation to materialize. Nonetheless, a household survey revealed that waste production among host and refugee communities is substantial and an increasing source of tension between refugee and host communities. An emergent waste management industry in Nairobi creates opportunities for Dadaab to collect, pre-process and profitably sell waste for onward processing and recycling. Enhancing the waste management sector would create demand for low and high skilled labour as well as reduce environmental degradation and contribute to social cohesion in the area. Recommendations for interventions include strengthening the camp’s and Dadaab town’s waste collection system, scaling up extant waste pre-processing plants, and creating market linkages to waste processing companies in Nairobi (who have expressed interest).
• Rapid Action Research for Intervention Design

Scope of work:

• The objective of the rapid action research is to define concrete market systems development interventions for the agriculture and waste management sectors. The research will take the report’s key recommendations as a basis and collect selected additional data through rapid action research in order to clarify the points below and enable the design of market systems development interventions.
• Agriculture. Follow-up on the assessment’s recommendations and to develop a clear understanding of how the barriers preventing refugees and host communities from producing and profitably selling produce (e.g. access to land, inputs, and skill development) can be overcome through market systems interventions. Concretely, but not limited to, the rapid action research should ascertain the following:
• Determine the legal and cultural environment regarding access to land for refugee and host communities, specifically but not limited to cooperative structures that would allow refugees and host communities to jointly cultivate land
• Determine availability of water and access to boreholes by refugee and host communities
• Determine skills gap among refugee and host population regarding farming techniques
• Rapid assessment of availability of agriculture inputs on local markets
• Rapid assessment of profitability of produce sales in local markets (Dadaab camps, Dadaab town, Garissa), taking into account local pricing as well as costs such as transport to be incurred in order to sell in such markets.
• Estimate role of stigma preventing entry into agriculture sector
• Waste Management: Follow-up on the assessment´s recommendations to strengthen the rudimentary local waste management system and to develop business linkages to waste processing companies in Nairobi and elsewhere. Concretely, but not limited to, the rapid action research should ascertain the following:
• Engage with waste processing companies in Nairobi and Garissa, develop concrete business models and to determine the economic modalities of waste collection, pre-processing (in Dadaab or elsewhere), transporting, and final processing can become profitable. As needed, this will also involve engaging with the extant rudimentary waste collection and processing infrastructure that currently exists in Dadaab.
• Determine how stigma around waste management may be overcome through concrete interventions
• Determine the infrastructure and skills among local host communities and refugees that are necessary to ensure sufficient waste collection and pre-processing on site
• Estimate role of stigma preventing entry into waste management sector.
  Deliverables
• On winning the bid, the consultant will be required to present a solid plan of action with relevant methodologies and time frames.
• The ILO will expect to receive a report of a maximum length of 30 pages excluding annexes at the end of the assignment. The report should contain analysis of the market systems and recommendations as defined in the scope of work.
• The consultant will make a presentation of findings and recommendations to stakeholders in Garissa County at a date to be jointly determined.

Education (knowledge)

Post-graduate qualification in relevant field (social science, social policy, economics, development studies, etc.).

Experience Required:

• 10 years of progressive experience in market systems and value chains development.
• Context awareness of Dadaab and the larger Garissa County.
• Awareness of the business legal frameworks in Kenya, and County and National Development Plans.
• Knowledge and understanding of cutting edge methodologies of developing sustainable market systems.

Time frame

The process will take approximately 20 days that include preparation, field work, and data analysis and report writing. The expected date of the start of the evaluation is 15th November 2019 and final report will be produced by 15th December 2019.