Consultant at Practical Action

Practical Action is seeking the services of a consultant/consultancy firm to undertake an assessment on gender and youth vulnerability so as to identify and define specific vulnerabilities of the identified group, to assess the gendered practices, identify opportunities and constraints that can affect agribusiness as a viable livelihood option for young men and women and its potential to transform rural economies.

Practical Action has commenced a five-year project in East Africa, working initially in Kenya with possible scale-up in other countries in the region. The objective of the project is to establish vibrant and inclusive rural economies in East Africa by promoting agricultural livelihoods for the youth underpinned by agro-ecological principles and practices. The project aims to break the cycles of low productivity and increasing rural poverty, through a holistic and gendered approach which will enable young men and women to increase their income through agri-business.

We recognize that gender relations and inequalities faced by young people are fundamental causes of poverty and that women and girls especially may not enjoy the same status, power or access to and control over resources as men and boys. It is critical to develop an in-depth understanding of the incidence, types, and levels of vulnerability in the proposed intervention area as well as the causal factors that contribute to this to ensure that the project is designed and implemented to address the underlying causes of inequality and address the socio-cultural barrier to advancing the role of young men and women in rural economies.

The findings from the assessment will inform further design, implementation and monitoring of the project’s interventions as well as changes in the lives of the individuals benefitting from the proposed interventions.

The consultant/consultancy will achieve the following specific objectives:

• To understand different levels of vulnerability (Segregated by gender and cohort) of young men and women within the target population (i.e. highly vulnerable, moderately vulnerable and Least vulnerable categories).
• To assess the assets, skills, capabilities and networks that young people possess and/or need to develop that can be leveraged to support both young men & women to successfully join and profit from agribusiness as a viable livelihood option
• To provide evidence on barriers and opportunities for young men and women to engage in agribusiness both on-farm and off farm as a potential livelihood option
• To explore social cultural perceptions, norms and practices that inhibit or facilitate young men and women in engaging in agribusiness.
• To assess differential access for men and women to agriculture information including extension services, whether it is meeting their needs, the gaps that exist and what should be done to improve translation of information to action.
• To explore gender and power dynamics at the household level and how it affects access to, control over and decision making on agriculture productive resources and time poverty for women in Agriculture
• Provide concrete recommendations based on findings to inform project implementation, baseline and MEL framework.