Re advertisement- Consultancy on Accessing Agricultural support and services by Farmers

National Agriculture Policy has clearly outlined that identification and categorisation of resource poor farmers and providing them with necessary inputs and support could ensure sustainable food security through increased production and productivity. Guided by this policy, chemical fertilisers and improved seeds are being provided to the farmers on subsidised rate since 2008. Besides, different types of capacity building trainings, cash support for livestock farming targeted to youths and subsidy on agriculture loans, insurance of crops and livestock, purchase of agriculture equipments, transportation of machineries are being included in the recent agricultural programs and budget of Nepal. Accordingly, sufficient budget has been allocated for agriculture sector which has almost doubled in the past 5 years. This increase in agriculture budget should have attracted youth for engaging in agriculture to increase the production and productivity of the country, but opposite is the case. The number of youths obtaining labour permit has increased by 137 from 2008 till 2014 (8% of the total population of Nepal). Similarly the import of agricultural goods has increased to 150 billion in 2015.

Government claims that there are lot of programs which could directly benefit the farmers through its different schemes. Farmers complain that they never had received any sort agricultural inputs and support from DADO or ASC. This may be due to the limited number of structures/technical staffs for all the farmers to have access to it or limited number of farmers/ fake farmers taking benefit from those supports. Most of the farmers either don’t know about the support or the process to receive it. So, this research tends to understand the government process of providing support/services and analyse the process through the eyes of the farmers so that most of the farmers will be benefitting from government program and budget.

So, this research intends to find the solution for reducing the huge gap between the service providers and service holders in terms of receiving agriculture support and services by the genuine farmers to increase their production.

Assumption: It has been found that the subsidies and support has not reached the smallholder, landless and women farmers.

2.      OBJECTIVES OF THE WORK

The overall objective of this assignment is to identify the process which facilitates/smoothens access of smallholder farmers to agricultural support and services as well as to find the obstacle which blocks them from accessing those.

Other objectives are:

        i.            To review and document existing supports, services and grants on agriculture by the government to farmers and the processes in receiving them.

      ii.            To bring out the current status of agricultural services and supports in the light of smallholders, women and landless farmers in the studied districts.

    iii.            To identify and analyze the gaps in existing processes to provide services and support to farmers, particularly women farmers, small holders and landless farmers.

        i.            What are supports, services and grants targeted to farmers in the government plans, programmes and policies at the national and district levels? How do beneficiaries of these are targeted?

      ii.            What are the procedures that need to follow by farmers to access those government’s supports, services and grants? Does the procedures is simple for farmers to access?

    iii.            How effectively does these government’s supports, services and grants are rolled out to targeted farmers, particularly women farmers, small holders and landless?

    iv.            What are the bottlenecks that hinder farmers, particularly women, small holders and landless to get benefitted from the government’s services, supports and grants?

4.      SCOPE

The study must cover but not limited to the following areas:

·         Enlist government supports, services and grants on agriculture targeted to farmers and procedures to access them.

·         Document the views and opinions of government officials on effectiveness of the existing government supports, services and grants

·         Document the views and opinions of women and men farmers (separately) on the existing government supports, services and grants.

·         Analyse the government’s services, supports and grants procedures and targets.

·         Prepare recommendations to improve government support programmes 

5.      METHODOLOGY

The consultant (s)/researcher will use a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods involving both secondary and primary data collection. Primary data collection will include development and deployment of a questionnaire, key informant interviews with actors, semi structured interviews, focused group discussions with men and women in locations where project has been implemented.

        i.            Review government’s plans, programmes and policies on agriculture and other related sectors. 

      ii.            Review of literature on agriculture services and supports in Nepal

    iii.            Key Informants Survey (KIS) with stakeholders in districts and national levels (Ministry of Agriculture Development, Department of Agriculture, Department of Live Stock, District Agriculture Development Offices, District Livestock Development Offices, District Development Committees and others)

    iv.            Conduct Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with farmers groups benefitted from the government services and support and farmers group not benefitted. Conduct separate focus group discussion with women farmers.

      v.            Develop checklists and questionnaire for KIS and FGDs

    vi.            Prepare case studies and collect quotes of women and men farmers.

  vii.            Share draft report with Oxfam and CSRC for review and obtain comments/inputs and incorporate the same into final report.

viii.            Share the report with experts for peer review and obtain comments/inputs and incorporate the same into final report.

    ix.            Facilitate and share findings of the study in consultative workshop in Kathmandu and incorporate feedbacks and comments in final report.

      x.            Prepare final report with all supporting references and documentation and submit to Oxfam.

6.      DELIVERABLES

·         A final report in English language (maximum 40 pages excluding annex) with references and annexes within 50 days from the start of this assignment

·         Explanation of research methodology and checklist, questionnaire or other tools developed

·          A briefing paper in English language derived from the major findings of the research.

7.      PAYMENT PROCEDURE

Payment will be made after satisfactory completion of assignment.

8.      TEAM COMPOSITION AND QUALIFICATION/SKILLS REQUIRED

The study team (two members) will include researcher/s with expertise as outlined below.

1. Proven knowledge  and experience of work on advocacy on farmers issues  and its current debates
2. Good understanding on  recent development on agriculture and food security policies and plans and institutional setup on climate change in Nepal
3. Hold academic degree in agriculture, sociology, political science, political economy
4. Clear understanding on the rights based perspectives. 
5. Good understanding and knowledge of governance
6. Proven experience of similar study, analytical skill and high quality report writing
7. Strong rapport with ministries and departments and other organisations implementing agriculture and food security projects
8. Good verbal and written skills in English and Nepali
9. Good understanding on gender and social inclusion
10. Consultant should have PAN, Company registration, VAT registration and Tax Clearance certificates

9.  RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities of the consultant(s):

The Consultant firm will be responsible to accomplish the task outlined by this ToR and ensure the delivery of outputs stated in the section 5 above within the agreed budget and timeline.

Responsibilities of Oxfam:

Remaining within the policies and practices of Oxfam Country Office, its primary responsibility is to help consultant to achieve objective of this ToR.

10.  CONFIDENTIALITY

During the performance of the assignment or at any time after expiry or termination of the agreement, the Consultant shall not disclose to any person or otherwise make use of any confidential information which he/she has obtained or may obtain in the course of the study relating to partner organization/Oxfam, the respondents or otherwise.

11.  COPYRIGHT

The copyright of the documents produced by the Consultant under this ToR belongs to Oxfam.

Oxfam

Country Office

Jawalkhel, Lalitpur, Nepal

e-mail: recruitment_nepal@oxfam.org.uk

P.O.Box No 2500, Kathmandu

Tel +977-1-5530574, 5542881, 5544308

Fax No. + 977-1-5523197

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Interested firms can send their propsal clearly mentioning the title of assignment in their email subject line by September 2, 2015 to recruitment_nepal@oxfam.org.uk along with  your company legal documents.