Assessment of Intensive Crop Agriculture

Background:

The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is an international conservation organization working in nine Heartlands across the African continent. Through AWF’s Conservation Enterprise program, the organization has been supporting the development and management of conservation enterprises across its area of operation through various capacity building programs. AWF’s Conservation Enterprise strategy demonstrates that local communities can undertake business ventures that support both their livelihoods and wildlife conservation.

AWF is currently implementing the Integrated Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainable Natural Resource Use for Human and Economic Benefit program, in Kenya. One of the objectives under this program is to “Assess, (re-)direct and support selected socio-economic and financial drivers, tools and mechanisms for development of sustainable livelihoods and landscapes”. This will enhance and support AWF work on sustainable livelihoods and conservation enterprises in Kenya. A consultant is needed to assess land/water use and distribution, and sustainability of intensive crop agriculture in selected sites with analysis to feed back into improved management.

Project Description:

AWF intends to increase its involvement in agriculture through selected partnerships in order to both reduce encroachment of crop production into important wildlife areas and create incentives for sustainable practices and conservation. Agriculture, and especially crop production, is one of the major threats facing conservation today through land conversion.

In Kenya, AWF works predominantly in dry areas, where access to water has the potential to engender immense conflict between people, and between wildlife and humans. Currently AWF is finalising an ‘Agriculture Strategy’ to guide its intervention in the agricultural sector in general and use it to promote an integrated approach towards overall economic and environmental sustainability. The aim is to intensify sustainable agriculture in appropriate locations, improve food security, and reduce human wildlife conflict and habitat conversion in Heartlands. The main approach will be to work through land use planning and establish zones where agriculture is a feasible activity and not in conflict with important conservation areas, to get these plans formalized, and work with communities to increase productivity per unit area in order to reduce conversion of marginal lands to crop production.

This consultancy will provide a foundation analysis on land and water use in selected areas, and the potential sustainability of intensive crop agriculture, with appropriate recommendations that will feed back into improved management.

Objective:

Focusing on key geographic areas of the program (identified in close consultation with AWF field staff), the consultant will perform an in-depth analysis of land and water use in the areas. Subsequent to the land and water use analysis, the consultant will review the impacts of intensive crop agriculture in selected areas (or forecast the potential impacts) and assess viability and sustainability of such agriculture methods in terms of environmental and financial metrics. A final report will include feedback based on the previous analysis that can be used to further improve the management of the interface between community agriculture needs and protected areas. Potential implementation models will be developed.

Scope of Work:

The consultant will work closely with AWF staff to:
1. Assess sources of and availability of water, its distribution, use, economic returns and sources of conflicts if any in its use.
2. Review land sizes, tenure systems and use, economic returns and sources of conflicts if any in the use of land.
3. Assess the efficiency and effectiveness of land and water use and how this can be enhanced for improved livelihoods, agriculture and conservation.
4. Review past and present initiatives on sustainable intensive crop agriculture in Kenya and assess its major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
5. Determine whether intensive crop agriculture is the most appropriate model for achieving the desired, long term conservation outcomes and farmer financial returns
6. Identify potential value chains for sustainable intensive crop agriculture that, when supported, can lead to significant gains for livelihoods and conservation.
7. Outline and analyse major stakeholders and their role including potential partnerships that can be pursued.
8. Provide an implementation framework for land and water use and sustainable intensive crop agriculture.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables:

The Consultant will produce the following:
1. An assessment of land and water use in the identified areas
2. An assessment of intensive crop agriculture in the identified areas (if currently implemented) including the potential impacts of any intensive agriculture, and an analysis of the viability and sustainability of the methodology
3. An implementation framework for land and water use and key partners to be involved with clear links to conservation.
4. Recommended approaches and an implementation framework for sustainable intensive crop agriculture with projected budgets for implementation with clear links to conservation.
5. Other recommendations and action plans derived from the assessment.

Required Qualifications and Experiences:

i. A Masters level degree qualification in agriculture, agribusiness, agronomy or related and relevant field with at least 5 years’ working experience in the agribusiness and conservation sectors.
ii. Considerable consultancy experience in agricultural research and development in the targeted conservation areas, including previous experience with intensive crop cultivation
iii. Knowledge and understanding of conservation and its relation to agriculture.
iv. Excellent interpersonal skills
v. Excellent communication skills, including business writing skills in English

Requirements to the Proposal:

The proposal, to be submitted in English, shall include:
- A technical section including
0 A short description of deliverables (what, how and when),
0 A clear work plan with timeline and the proposed methodology, which shall incorporate a full justification for procedures to be adopted, and
0 CVs/Profile or details of the firm or individuals including experience relevant to this assignment;
0 At least three referees for similar or related work done
- A financial section including
0 all fees for this assignment (this should indicate man-days and VAT)
0 all support costs for the assignment
- VAT Certificate and PIN Certificate(s) as appropriate.

AWF’s Responsibility:

• AWF is viewing this consultancy as a “fee for deliverable” consultancy, in which AWF shall pay a fixed fee for the outputs identified above. The consultancy fee indicated in the proposal should cover all costs related to the completion of this consultancy, including all travel costs and supplies.
• AWF assumes that any consultant or firm submitting a proposal has the requisite approvals to work in country.
• AWF shall provide access to relevant project materials necessary for purposes of the assignment.

How to apply:

Proposals should be submitted electronically to: Carlo Chege Program Manager, Conservation Enterprise African Wildlife Foundation Email: cchege@awfke.org