INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Ethiopian Climate Resilient Forest and Landscape Restoration (CRFLR) Project is implemented in partnership with national and regional government partners by GGGI Ethiopia office and funded by Korean International Cooperative Agency (KOICA). The main objective of this project is to restore degraded forests in selected watersheds in a landscape approach on 10,000ha. of degraded forest and farmland. By implementing forest landscape restoration actions, the project aims to contribute to the long-term impact of securing the provision of ecosystem services that improve climate resilience and sustain green growth in Ethiopia. The specific objectives of the program are:

1. To reduce emission from land use and deforestation through sustainable forest management by implementing forest restoration and conservation activities in 10,000 ha of degraded forest and farmlands;

2. To improve resilience of ecosystems and ecosystems services;

3. To increase resilience and enhance livelihoods of the most vulnerable people, communities, and regions.

The Climate Resilient Forest and Landscape Restoration (CRFLR) Project was officially launched in December 2021 and the implementation commenced in two selected regions, Oromia and Sidama, in partnership with the Government of Ethiopia (GoE).

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Activities to be undertaken by the CRFLR project specifically address both climate change mitigation and adaptation needs of stakeholders. Project stakeholders are mainly local rural communities practicing subsistence agriculture, as their main livelihood activity. The project outputs include practical implementation of activities that address deforestation and forest and farmland degradation, whilst strengthening human and institutional capacities. The project has a potential for scale up, transformation and innovation, working in alignment with the GoE’s Agriculture and Forest Sector Development programs. Success of degraded landscapes restoration efforts is enabled through the use of multiple sustainable land management approaches, such as, Participatory Forest management (PFM), Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR), Agroforestry, and Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA). Restoration of degraded landscapes also focuses on building the Community Based Organizations (CBO), and VSLAs (Village Saving and Loan Institutions) and strengthening livelihoods through increased farm and forest productivity and the setup of small business enterprises. The aims and results of this work are restored forest and farm landscapes that are productive, resilient to climate change and able to sequester carbon.

Transformative elements of the project include;

1. The introduction of sustainable land management approaches for farm and forest lands.
2. The strengthening of farm and forest crop, livestock, timber and non-timber product value chains in forest and farm lands.
3. The establishment and capacity building of community led CBOs, Forest Management Cooperatives (FMCs) and Watershed User Cooperatives (WUCs).
4. The set up of small and medium sized business enterprises, in order to increase household income.

The Market Systems Development (MSD) and Business Development Services (BDS) approaches present the full range of business enterprise set up and support activities which are required to establish and support small farm and forest product business. Working with project set up CBOs and VSLA groups, the project will use the Value Chain Analysis (VCA) studies conducted in 2023 and aspects of FAO’s Market Analysis and Development approach as a foundation for Farm and Forest product business set up and business plan development.

The scope of this consultancy work is to support the project teams, local government offices and CBOs to set up and establish small business enterprises. Business activities can include Non timber forest products, such as; forest honey, forest coffee, and bamboo, Farm based businesses can include products such as; enset, avocado, and poultry.

The project aims to support 28 Community-Based Orgizations (CBOs), 28 Women and Youth Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLAs) led business within the community/cooperative. Women and Youth are often not given the opportunity to engage in business development projects. The project shall aim to balance the participation of men, women and youth in the business enterprise set up and support activities.

The Consultant should address the gender inequality through the positive promotion of W&Y enterprises to become involved in managing high value farm and forest products. Therefore, specialized and specific pro-gender and women’s economic empowerment activities need to be designed as part of the Business Development Services or Market Analysis Development (MAD) approach to support W&Y in their VSLA based enterprise development.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITY

For this assignment the successful Consultant shall be responsible for the following:

• Preliminary planning phase

– Define realistic objectives.

– Adapt MAD materials to local context, including the translation of materials into the local vernacular language.

– Review the market assessment, commodity value chains, BDS directory produced by UMA consult, and identify the gaps.

– Ensure the existing data/information and address the gaps within this MAD process.

– Organize MAD sensitization workshops.

– Outline the framework for participatory monitoring and evaluation.

– Formulate the MAD capacity development strategy.

– Work with GGGI’s two Livelihood Advisors throughout the contract period: Train them to learn the whole process, so they can conduct the MAD process on their own.

• Output 1: Workplan and inception report including detailed and localized MAD process/methodology.
• Output 2: Localized MAD materials.
• Output 3: One- to four-pager sensitization workshop report.
• Output 4: Outline of participatory monitoring and evaluation framework.

• Phase 1: Assess the existing situation

– Step 1: Identify the potential entrepreneurs/groups within the CBOs and VSLA groups willing / interested in developing small enterprises.

– Step 2: Lead the potential entrepreneurs to assess their capacities to become business groups.

– Step 3: Provide information on the six commodities studied by GGGI and the other secondary priority commodities mentioned above to potential business groups.

– Step 4: Facilitate discussions on the commodities, opportunities, the main constraints in the market system, and benefits of group work.

• Output 1: Four-pager report(s) on results of each step in Phase I.

• Phase 2: Work with potential business groups and carry out participatory assessments in order to select products and identify enterprise ideas

– Step 1: Lead the potential business groups to collect data on the five areas of enterprise development (The five areas of sustainable enterprise development: i)economy/finance, ii) social/cultural, iii) institutional/legal, iv) natural resource management/environment, v) technology/product research/development)

– Step 2: Support the potential business groups to select the most promising products.

– Step 3: Facilitate the potential business groups to reflect on the most appropriate form of business groups.

• Output 1: Four-pager report on confirming the most promising products selected by the potential business groups (Products selected from the six priority commodities.).
• Output 2: Data for Enterprise Development Plan (Business Plan) Design collected.
• Output 3: Four-pager report on the potential business groups awareness on the most appropriate forms of business enterprises.
• Output 4: Four-pager report on the business groups and other products.

• Phase 3: Prepare a business plan
  

– Step 1: Facilitate a workshop to support the business groups analyze the data collected in Phase 2 in order to refine the business ideas (simple business strategy). Ensure gender integration (gender-sensitive measures) into Forest and Farm business enterprises set up.

– Step 2: Support the business groups to prepare their Enterprise Development Plan (Business Plan).

– Step 3: Identify training and assistance needs from the business groups. Ensure this is done participatory.

• Output 1: Simple business strategies for the small business groups, including the business cash flow /budgeting.
• Output 2: Enterprise Development Plan (Business Plan), including a yearly implementation plan for the pilot enterprise.
• Output 3: Four-pager report on needs in training and assistance.

• Phase 4: Support the start up phase of small business groups

– Step 1: Support the business groups obtain financial resources as estimated in their Enterprise Development Plan (Business Plan).

– Step 2: Provide the business groups the necessary training to implement their business plans.

– Step 3: Provide technical support the business groups to start their activities at a pilot level.

– Step 4: Teach the business groups how to monitor their business activities and evaluate their business results.

• Output 1: Business certificates and or other evidence of the start up of small-scale Farm and Forest business groups (One CBO and one VSLA per woreda).
• Provide contextualized, bespoke GGGI’s forest and farm small business enterprise set up and start up process manual including market analysis and business development.
• Provide all the FAO’s MAD process related materials to the GGGI Livelihood Advisors.

SUGGESTED METHODOLOGY

The Consultant shall provide technical expertise as well as necessary resources to deliver this assignment, aligning it to the CRFLR project context as described in the background. It is expected that the suggested FAO MAD methodology will be the core of the proposed activities and scope of work provided in this document.

The FAO MAD methodology is a structured framework designed for planning enterprises based on tree and forest products. It involves a preliminary planning phase, followed by four clear, participatory phases that guide entrepreneurs in the development of their businesses. This step-by-step approach ensures that all critical factors are considered, helping to minimize risks associated with starting new enterprises.

Phases 1 and 2 function as a diagnostic process, identifying opportunities and motivating participants. Phase 3 focuses on preparing the Enterprise Development Plan (EDP), while Phase 4 supports the start-up phase.

The four phases of the MAD process are as follows:

• Phase 1: Assessing the Current Situation

Prospective entrepreneurs analyse the existing conditions, identify challenges and opportunities, and narrow down a list of potential products.

• Phase 2: Carrying Out Surveys to Select Products and Identify Enterprise Ideas

Potential entrepreneurs choose the most viable products and gather essential information for further development of the products.

• Phase 3: Preparing the Enterprise Development Plan (EDP)

Entrepreneurs create a comprehensive enterprise development plan that incorporates all necessary strategies and services to ensure sustainability.

• Phase 4: Supporting the Start-Up Phase of The Enterprises

Entrepreneurs receive training, technical assistance, and, if needed, financial support to implement their business plan.

However, other methodology that the Consultant is familiar with can be proposed by the Consultant.

Proposed Activity; Background to the CRFLR Project’s Livelihood Approach

The CRFLR project has been designed to enable resilience of vulnerable rural communities in the project target areas through restoration of degraded forests and farmlands. This will be achieved through a Holistic Landscape Approach (HLA). At the center of this HLA approach is the establishment and/or strengthening of sustainable forest and farm product-based livelihoods opportunities and the setup of small and medium scale business enterprises.

Creating farmland and forest-based livelihood opportunities for Forest and Farm CBOs and Women and Youth (W&Y) groups is a key work area for the project. The CRFLR project aims to create livelihoods opportunities for different CBO groups based on available local farm and forest products.

The six priority products are:

• Enset
• Honey
• Poultry
• Bamboo
• Coffee
• Avocado

This activity will take a Market System Development (MSD) based on small business enterprise set up and support, including business set up and management training and linking business enterprises to existing Business Development Services (BDS), within the targeted communities. Women and Youth (W&Y) groups will be specifically targeted to set up forest and farm-based enterprises. W&Y groups will form Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs), as a starting point for this engagement. The project will provide business knowledge, skills and funding for CBOs and W&Y led enterprises engaged in commercial forest and farm product businesses. These incomes generating livelihood activities are intrinsically linked to the long-term sustainable management of forest land and adjacent farmland.

Therefore, the CRFLR project will support the development of specific forest and farm product value chains; Coffee, Honey, Avocado, Bamboo, Enset (false banana), Poultry. Value chain integration into sustainable forest and farm management systems aims to commercialize natural resource management actions and ensure economic livelihood benefits flow to the community groups, that are working as sustainable natural resource managers.

A gender and youth responsive livelihoods approach for developing different forest and farm product businesses is important for both men and women to have equal access to the natural resources, value chain information and business enterprise set up training, as well as technology and finance; in order to set up enterprises and increase production along selected value chains. Despite the fact that men and women share labour burdens of production stages and face different challenges in all the value chain segments. Gender disparity takes a sharp turn during the marketing steps of the value chain. Men usually take the higher decision making and selling roles for high value of forest and farm produces. This is the case for high value products such as, timber and forest coffee, with men controlling the income generated from these product sales.

DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE

This project is expected to be completed by June 30, 2025 with a tentative timetable as follows:

All reports and outputs must be in English, in accordance with GGGI’s formatting requirements, and submitted in hard copy and electronic formats.

REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS

The Consultant’s work progress will be monitored primarily through periodic review meetings. The precise schedule of which is to be determined based on consultation with the Consultant after the contract is awarded. The Consultant shall produce, upon GGGI’s request, a formal progress report (2-3 pages) to GGGI that includes: a narrative description of activities, detailed information on objectives and milestones, actual achievements made against the timeline set, etc.

The Consultant shall liaise and closely communicate with the CRFLR project PMU and RMFTs for monitoring of the work progress through periodic review meetings. The Consultants shall incorporate feedback from the project team and stakeholders into the Business set up process, making any necessary amendments or adjustments to the final products.

EXPERTISE REQUIRED

A Consultant interested in this assignment shall demonstrate the following compliance requirements & allocations:

• 7-10 years proven experience in undertaking similar assignments in conducting market system development and BDS and implementing/developing smallholder agriculture or market access project, including capacity building of local partners and farmers at sub-regional level in Ethiopia.
• Demonstrated knowledge of market research, analysis and entrepreneurship, setting up and operating micro, small and medium enterprises, and agricultural/forestry/ non-timber forest product values chains.
• Experience in publishing documents or reports on MSD and BDS of forest and non-timber forest products.
• Experience in working in rural areas and willing to travel/stay in rural areas with GGGI’s field teams to carry out this assignment.
• At least 5 years’ working experience with international organizations and NGOs on market assessment, value chain analysis, rural livelihoods, and business training.
• Strong analytical (data analysis on SWOT) and report writing skills.
• Experience in facilitating workshops and meetings.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS

The work will be completed with due consideration to the local environmental and social context and requirements of this type of visual work in Ethiopia.

EVALUATION CRITERIA AND METHOD

• Required documents to submit: CV, Cover letter, technical proposal, and financial proposal
• Written test