EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

Terms of References

DEVELOPMENT OF A POLICY BRIEF “BASED ON SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY MONITORING SCORECARD FINDINGS ON PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY IN AGRICULTURE WITH FOCUS ON AGROECOLOGY FINANCING IN ZAMBIA”.

Introduction

ActionAid Zambia (AAZ) is a member of the ActionAid International Federation and its vision is to see a just and poverty free Zambia in which every person enjoys the right to a life of dignity. In trying to realize its vision, AAZ works with poor and excluded people to end poverty and injustice.

The Partnership for Social Accountability (PSA) Alliance, led by ActionAid Zambia is implementing a project, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, in Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The initiative, dubbed “Strengthening Social Accountability and Oversight Capacity for Rights-based Public Resources Management in Health and Agriculture in Southern Africa”, aims at enhancing accountability and gender responsiveness in public resource management. The focus areas include HIV and Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) services for adolescents and youths, as well as agricultural services for smallholder farmers.

The project strives to fulfil SADC regional commitments by reinforcing oversight and social accountability roles among parliamentary committees, government departments, civil society organizations, smallholder farmer groups, and the media. The project works through regional monitoring, policy analysis, and advocacy on Good Governance (PFM) to ensure effective service delivery.

Background

The development of a policy brief arises from the need to synthesize and disseminate key findings from social accountability monitoring scorecard assessments on public service delivery in agriculture, with a specific focus on agroecology financing in Zambia. The policy brief aims to provide actionable recommendations to relevant stakeholders, including government entities, policymakers, civil society organizations, and development partners.

In light of the aforementioned, ActionAid Zambia seeks to procure services of a resource person/expert to develop a policy brief on Agriculture with specific focus on agroecology financing. The resource person would provide an analysis of the national agriculture policy to establish if the funds allocated to finance the policy thus far are adequate.

Justification for the Analysis

The analysis will be a key step towards formulating and advocating for policy interventions to the government so that the people can best be served. It is expected that through this analysis, evidence will be generated to inform advocacy interventions-smart climate justice campaigns targeted at policy reform and implementation. The analysis is also expected to inform policy debate, especially around transparency and accountability in the financing of climate change and agroecology legislation in Zambia.

PURPOSE OF THE CONSULTANCY

The overall objective of the consultancy is to provide a basis for advancing the legislative framework for agroecology financing for enhanced implementation of the national agriculture policy and further guide the functional interrelations between the policy and policy measures being developed.

Specific Objectives

To analyse and synthesize data and findings from social accountability monitoring scorecard assessments related to public service delivery in agriculture, particularly focusing on agroecology financing.
To identify key challenges, gaps, and opportunities in the current landscape of agroecology financing in Zambia.
To develop evidence-based recommendations for improving public service delivery and enhancing agroecology financing mechanisms in Zambia.
To disseminate the policy brief to relevant stakeholders and advocate for policy changes and interventions based on the findings.

3. Scope of Work:

Review existing social accountability monitoring scorecard assessments, reports, and related literature on public service delivery in agriculture and agroecology financing in Zambia.
Conduct data analysis and synthesis to identify trends, patterns, and key insights from the scorecard findings.
Engage with relevant stakeholders, including government officials, policymakers, civil society representatives, and experts in the field of agriculture and agroecology financing.
Develop a comprehensive policy brief outlining the findings, analysis, and recommendations in a clear and concise manner.
Incorporate feedback from stakeholders and experts to refine the policy brief and ensure its relevance and effectiveness.

4. Deliverables:

Inception Report: Provide an outline of the proposed approach, methodology, and work plan for developing the policy brief.
Draft Policy Brief: Present a preliminary version of the policy brief for review and feedback.
Final Policy Brief: Submit the finalized version of the policy brief incorporating all feedback and revisions.

Scope of Work

The resource person/expert will undertake a desk review of relevant documentation on the project and agroecology in and outside Zambia as may be appropriate with a view of identifying gaps and a justification for an adequate regulatory framework. In addition, he/she will consult relevant Ministries, Departments, communities, Agencies and civil society actors to capture more ideas. Where necessary, agroecology legislative practices elsewhere will be explored to enrich the discussion.

Key Deliverables:

In response to these TORs, the expert will be expected to submit the following;

i.         An analysis of the size and share of the budget towards agroecology financing. Max 5 pages

ii.         A draft policy brief to be used for advocacy activities. 3 pages Max

iii.         Simplified version for community dissemination. 3 pages Max

Time frame

The consultancy shall be for a duration of 15 days, August 5 to August 19, 2024. During this period the resource person/expert will deliver the following:

i.         A plan of work with clear milestones;

ii.         Presentation on the mini-progress of the brief;

iii.         Advocacy and campaign strategy

iv.         Final Policy Brief.

Intended use and audience of the findings of the analysis.

i.         This analysis will primarily be used for advocacy and policy engagement with relevant policy makers in Zambia,

ii.         The analysis is also aimed at further strengthening Civil Society Organizations and the Community’s ability to influence enhanced public financing and spending towards agriculture extension services.

Bid Submission

Prospective consultants should submit a detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) with evidence of experience in the similar field to info.zambia@actionaid.org

Qualifications and Competencies

The consultant should have the following qualifications:

• Demonstrated knowledge of Policy development and analysis highly recommended.
• Demonstrated ability to prepare deliverables of good quality on time.
• Experience in undertaking similar assignments with reputable institutions.
• Good report writing skills