Demande de proposition pour l’étude exploratoire sur le statut des variétés de cultures résilientes au climat et l’accès au germplasme en Tanzanie.

 

 

 

 

 

About AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund)[1]

AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) is a leading non-profit development organization that supports innovative enterprises in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors with the aim of reducing rural poverty, promoting resilient communities, and creating jobs.

We catalyze the private sector by surfacing and commercializing new ideas, business models, and technologies designed to increase agricultural productivity, improve farmer incomes, expand clean energy access, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve resilience to the effects of climate change. We finance high-risk businesses that struggle to access commercial funding; we are committed to working in frontier markets, fragile contexts, and high-risk economies where few mainstream financing institutions dare to go.

Programme Summary

The Seeds for Impact Programme (SIP) started as a 6-year programme, funded by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) – operating in Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana, and Nigeria. SIP’s hypothesis is that access to improved seed will effectively enable smallholder farmers to increase production and improve their livelihoods. SIP’s Flagship initiative aims to:

  • Make seed market systems work better for smallholder farmers across Africa.
  • To increase the incomes of hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers (SHFs) and households across Africa.
  • To increase Smallholder farmers’ access to seeds of new high-yielding and climate-smart crop varieties beyond hybrid maize to increase production, mitigate against adverse climate, and diversify food production.

As the importance of resilient and strong local seed systems is more acute than ever before, the SIP Programme, with funding from the Swedish Embassy in Tanzania, is expanding with a dedicated Window in Tanzania.

This two-year project within SIP’s flagship programme will aim to increase smallholder farmers’ (SHF) access to seeds of improved and high-yielding crop varieties that are tolerant to biotic and abiotic stresses.

The Objective of the Scoping Study

To provide an understanding of the status of the climate-resilient crop varieties in Tanzania and recommend a few specific crop varieties to be promoted and strategies for scaling up the adoption.

Scope of Work

The scoping study on the status of climate-resilient crop varieties available in Tanzania is to provide a clear understanding as to whether they are immediately available for commercialization or when they might be released by the authorities, and which organization is releasing those genetics and whether they are exclusive or non-exclusive. The study also aims to provide an understanding of the nutritional components of those crop varieties in addressing challenges of malnutrition as well as adaptation to different Agroecological zones of Tanzania. Specifically, it will involve the following:

  • Assessment of the national catalogue of crop varieties in Tanzania as well as engagement with the stakeholders in crop improvement such as NARI’s, CGIAR Centres, development partners involved in promoting such innovations, and universities to determine the status of climate-resilient crop varieties.
  • Assessment of climate-resilient crop varieties in addressing challenges of malnutrition with emphasis on varieties bred to address climate change threats and nutritional requirements of the rural poor.
  • Assess the strategies for scaling up climate-resilient and highly nutritious crop varieties, especially legumes, and pulses as well as indigenous cereals, and provide recommendations on specific varieties to be promoted.
  • Assessment of the role of seed enterprises in disseminating other innovations and technologies that mitigates climate change threats such as conservation agriculture.

 Required Qualifications and Experience

It is expected that the consultant(s) will have the following qualifications and experience:

  • Extensive and demonstrated experience in designing, facilitating, and coordinating scoping studies or evaluations in the seed sector.
  • Extensive and demonstrated experience in surveys, data collection, statistical analysis and interpretation of results.
  • Experience and a good understanding of crop improvement programmes, early-generation seed multiplication and plant breeders’ rights in Tanzania.
  • Excellent understanding of seed systems development and business models
  • Lead consultant should hold an MSc (preferably PhD) in Plant Breeding, Seed Science, Agricultural Economics, or a related field and at least 12 years in seed industry/crop improvement programmes.
  • Consulting firm should have at least 5 years of experience in similar assignments.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead and coordinate a multi-disciplinary team.
  • Excellent communication skills – both interpersonal and written.

10.Proposal Submission.

The qualified consultant/consulting firm is invited to submit a proposal that includes the following:

  1. Qualification and experience as indicated in the evaluation criteria.
  2. Approach and methodology as indicated in the Evaluation criteria.
  3. A detailed financial budget (in USD) and a detailed work plan.
  4. The technical and financial proposals will need to be submitted as separate documents.
  5. As per requirements under the Evaluation Criteria.

Application details.

The AECF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The AECF considers all interested candidates based on merit without regard to race, gender, colour, national origin, religion, age, marital status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

  1. Interested firms/individuals are requested to submit their proposal to: [email protected] by 23rd June 2023, 5 pm (EAT).
  2. Please send your questions to the AECF procurement e-mail by 16th June 2023.
  3. The Subject of the email should read “REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Scoping Study: RFP-001-SIP-TZ -2023”. The AECF shall not be liable for not opening proposals that are submitted with a different subject.