Summary
Date Posted: Thursday, June 17, 2021 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Terms of Reference for A Consultant to Develop a Business Development Plan for The Conservation Farming Unit
Organisation: Conservation Farming Unit Ltd (CFU)
Funding Source: The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office
Position Type: Short Term Consultancy (approximately 40 days)
Assignment: Development of a Business Development Plan and Funding Proposal
Closing: Date 25th June, 2021 17h00 Local Time

Proposals time and or date stamped after that due date and time listed above in the receiver in box will not be considered. No hard copy deliveries will be accepted.

Admin Guidelines
Proposal Approach and work plan not to exceed 15 pages
12-point font
Spacing – 1
1-inch margins
Cover Page – 1-page and does not count against the proposal approach
Budget – does not count against the proposal
Electronic copies only to mdmailloux@yahoo.com
Questions can be e-mailed to the e-mail address provided above. Questions must be received by 13h00 local time on Sunday 20th June
All questions will be collated and responded to all submitting organisations in one e-mail.
Questions received after that time and date stamp in the e-mail address provided will not be included in the response
The CFU reserves the right to make one award, multiple awards or none.
All bids are done at the bidders expense and the CFU takes no responsibility for any costs associated with a bid.
Turnaround time is important – we expect to offer a final award within 48 hours of closure of the bidding process on June 25th and expect the winning bid to start the assignment on July 1st.

1.0 Background
1.0.1 The Organisation
Established in 1995, the Conservation Farming Unit (CFU) a Zambian non-profit company is recognized as a leader in the promotion of Conservation Agriculture (CA) and Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) in Zambia and the East and Southern Africa Region. With the support of a number of sponsors over the years particularly the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs MFA and NORAD, and more recently DfID now the FCDO, the CFU has implemented as sequence of uninterrupted programmes focused on the promotion of the CSA Conservation Farming practices in Zambia and through partnerships with local in-country agencies in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The CFU has also provided technical support to CF focused projects in Madagascar, Mozambique, Senegal and Ghana in addition to providing training to Zambia’s Ministry of Agriculture field staff and numerous other local organizations.

Since 2011, the CFU has significantly increased its private sector inks and partnerships that have in turn offered numerous opportunities for farmers working with the CFU to increase their access to input, output, and third- party service providers.

1.0.2 Company Objectives:
(a) To develop and promote Conservation Farming (CF), Conservation Agriculture (CA) and Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies within Zambia and the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region for the benefit of farming communities.
(b) To actively promote more productive and climate smart agriculture practices and polices so that the livelihoods of farming communities are enhanced, food security is improved and environmental degradation is minimized;
(c) To facilitate the development of improved agriculture input and output markets in Zambia and the ESA region;
(d) To develop and implement special programmes and innovations that enable the active participation and commercial integration of women and vulnerable but viable farming households in surplus production and agricultural markets.
(e) To work with commercial entities on both demand and supply sides to improve the agriculture markets environment in which smallholders and small rural businesses operate.
(f) To work with stakeholders in the agricultural sector to improve the competitiveness of the industry, while enhancing the value proposition of the CFU in the Industry.
(g) To promote and provide coordination and programme management capabilities for singular and multi-donor approaches to agricultural markets development in Zambia and the region;
(h) To carry on the activities of the Company as Researchers, Consultants or otherwise, for the purpose of fulfilling or contributing towards all or any of the objects of the Company as well as securing financial resources for these activities; and
(i) To identify the strengths and capabilities of the CFU and map out how these remain relevant to the sector.
1.0.3 The status and current assignment
The present five-year Climate Smart Agriculture Program (CSAZ) centered in Zambia, launched in June 2016 and funded by UK’s FCDO is due to terminate in June 2021. Built on the foundations of previous programmes, significant progress has been made over the past five seasons in accelerating the adoption of the CSA practices. As a result of the conclusion of this flagship programme, the CFU has remained without assured financing in the immediate and long term.

The CFU is now seeking to engage a consultant or consortium that will be able to quickly collate and pro-actively promote the progress realised by the CFU to engage potential donors and future support. The consultant will have an in-depth knowledge of the CFU, its approach, shortcomings and its strategic visions for the future. The consultant will be well versed and already cognizant of the literature and research surrounding the CSA practices. Building on this background the Consultant shall develop a complete and clear strategy setting out the future direction of the company and a plan on how that will be financed beyond the current donor support.

The consultant will have significant experience securing support through a long-standing and robust network. This not a research or peer review paper, but a fluid document that highlights what has been achieved and can clearly outline why future support for the CSA practices are important and how the CFU can build upon current progress to take what has been realised to-date forward.

2.0 Consultancy Context
2.0.1 Specific aims of the consultancy
• Through a detailed desk study of CFU reports, surveys, and technical publications, obtain a thorough understanding of the evolution of the CFU’s approach to the promotion and adoption of CF and frame the achievements and impacts of the organization in East Africa and Zambia in a concise appraisal. This concise appraisal will act as a stand-alone document;
• Outline in brief, potential opportunities to extend and amplify the benefits of CF through a programmatic approach aimed at merging promotion with parallel but currently disconnected initiatives focused on eliminating the barriers confronted by farming households through the agricultural cycle from field to market;
• On completion of the appraisal the consultants shall by utilizing their network of contacts engaged in fields associated with the advancement of CF assist the CFU to investigate potential opportunities for support which might be enable more effective integration of CF into wider efforts to advance the productivity of small-holder rain-fed agriculture;
• The review will also provide the CFU’s Management and Board the opportunity to share the findings with partners in ongoing projects, strategic stakeholders and professional bodies involved in uplifting the performance of SSA and the ameliorating impacts of climatic instability; and
• In addition to framing the model the CFU has evolved and publicizing its achievements, the consultant is expected to provide a valuable resource for organizations engaged in the funding of CSA.

3.0 Timeline:
The work is expected to start on July 1st, 2021 and expected to be completed by 10th August 2021.

4.0 Qualifications of the Consultant:
i. At least a master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field in Business Administration, Sales, Marketing, Organizational Development, Project Management and Strategic management
ii. In additional to relevant postgraduate qualifications, the Consultant must have a body of past work performed for a minimum of three other NGO’s, specific to proposal and business development in the area of Business Development, Private sector engagement and Strategy formulation.

5.0 Contents of Proposal
Proposals to undertake this assignment must include:
1) Names and CVs of key staff members responsible or CV of the Consultant (i) for overseeing the work; (ii) for undertaking the work;
2) Proposed technical approach and detailed work plan; and
3) Proposal fee and costs estimate, indicating the basis of calculation of fees.

Job Experience: No Requirements

Work Hours: 8

Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree

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Job application procedure
Applications should be submitted electronically by 17:00hrs local time (Lusaka, Zambia) by 25th June 2021 to:
Programme Manager
By email to mdmailloux@yahoo.com, magsym70@yahoo.com

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