The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project
Scope of Work
Production and Crop Agronomy Training
Program Description:
The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri- Finance Project is an access to finance project working to improve access to finance for smallholders, women, youth, and micro, small, medium (including large) enterprises (MSMiLs) in Tanzania by improving the agri-finance ecosystem and strengthening the capacity of both borrowers and lenders. The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project will prioritize interventions that increase availability and adoption of priority technologies, including climate-smart technology, and create more inclusive agricultural finance ecosystems, enable expanded and sustained lending and investment, and increase productivity and incomes.
Project interventions will support 20 financial institutions, 15 demand-side institutions including agricultural enterprises and women and youth groups, train 300 financial institution staff, and reach 18,000 borrowers with $21 million in agricultural finance facilitated in Tanzania. The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project will utilize a system-driven, private sector-led approach to target agricultural market coordination failures and develop commercially oriented solutions that will sustain and scale agri-financing. The project includes two interconnected strategic objectives to achieve tangible, positive impact for smallholder farmers, women, youth, agro-enterprises, and financial institutions.
Objective 1: Improve income and bankability of smallholders, women, youth and micro, small and medium (including large) enterprises.
The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project will deliver targeted technical capacity strengthening and direct training and coaching to smallholders, women, youth, and MSMiLs beneficiaries in financial and money management skills and tools, business planning, finance and investment, development of business funding proposals, records keeping, loan applications, and loan repayment and/or savings strategies.
Objective 2: Strengthen financial institution operational capacity to expand agri- lending.
The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project will provide targeted support to supply side financial institutions to develop new agri-finance products and improve operational capabilities and efficiencies, build capacity and strengthening their motivation to expand agri-lending to smallholders, women, youth, and MSMiLs – with a focus on priority and climate-smart technologies such as irrigation, inputs, storage, and value addition. The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri Finance Project is an access to finance project working to improve access to finance for smallholders, women, youth, and micro, small, medium (including large) enterprises (MSMiLs) in Tanzania by improving the Agri finance ecosystem and strengthening the capacity of borrowers and lenders. With a particular emphasis on priority technologies, including climate- smart technologies. The Feed the Future project is working to create more inclusive agricultural finance ecosystems, enable expanded and sustained lending and investment, and increase productivity and incomes. The Recipient interventions will increase supported financial institutions from 9 to 20, train 300 financial institution staff, and reach 18,000 borrowers with $21 million in agricultural finance. The project will utilize a system-driven, private sector-led approach to target agricultural market coordination failures and develop commercially oriented solutions that will sustain and scale agri-financing.
Problem Statement:
The performance of the agricultural sector is critical for poverty reduction and food security. In Tanzania smallholder farming is by far the most common profession among families living in poverty. However, most of their farms produce only a fraction of their potential. Pyrethrum farmers for example, produce an average of 350kg for an acre against the proven potential of 600kg and above. This is mainly due to poor agronomic practices which also result in low pyrethrins content of 1.1% against the potential of 1.4% and above. In addition, farmers are not able to invest in their farms due to lack of finance, especially for labor which is one of the biggest needs in the pyrethrum.
Training smallholder farmers, particularly youth and women, in pyrethrum production and crop agronomy skills will help farmers to manage their land, effectively cultivate their crops, and improve their farms productivity and quality that would significantly assist farmers to obtain premium prices and earn enough income to repay their loans in full without straining their household's cash flows, and improve the local economies, food security and livelihoods. Trainings provide opportunities to smallholders, youth, and women to learn crop production best practices and how to properly utilize inputs and other resources to improve productivity and quality of their crops throughout the season and to better manage both the business and agricultural aspects of their farms.
One pyrethrum processing company and an off taker of pyrethrum produces from smallholder farmers youth and women, and which have been selling high-quality pyrethrum crude oil/extract on the global market for production of organic pesticides, is 100% dependent on small holder farmers to deliver the required quantity and quality (measured in pyrethrin levels, moisture content and other lab-assessed indicators) of pyrethrum.
Despite the company’s efforts to support farmers with quality seeds and better prices, their investments did not yield a significant increase of quality and yield. However, when the company partnered with Lutheran World Relief to provide agronomy training to farmers, participating farmers increased production of pyrethrum from 2,500MT in 2020 to 4,200MT in 2023.
Therefore, the Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project in collaboration with the company is recruiting a regional or international volunteer expert to provide tailored and learn-by-doing pyrethrum production and crop agronomy trainings to 270 smallholder farmers youth and women, and extensions officers working with the project host organization in Iringa region of Tanzania and recommend and promote the adoption and applications of agricultural best practices to improve the quality and yields of pyrethrum in the Njombe region. With the adoption of better agronomy practices, small holders in the region will be able to access better prices and second payment to improve their bankability and incomes to participate in profitable agricultural activities, which, ultimately, increases agricultural sector productivity and livelihoods.
Objectives of the Assignment:
1. Develop and provide a tailored “learn by doing” production and crop agronomy training to 270 pyrethrum farmers, youth and women and agriculture extension officers in Makete district of Njombe region.
Production and crop agronomy training may cover the following areas:
Introduction to pyrethrum production and crop agronomy best practices
Importance of good agricultural practices (GAP) in pyrethrum production
Site selection and land preparation
Soil fertility and nutrient management
Effective nursery preparations, seed, and seedlings production
Planting and weeding
Assessment of produce maturity and harvesting
Pre-harvest handling practices
Pests and diseases control
2. Enhance skills and build capacity of pyrethrum farmers, youth and women and agriculture extension officers in recommended agricultural best practices to improve crop productivity and quality.
3. To promote the adoption and application of good agricultural practices in pyrethrum production and post-harvest handling.
4. Identify and recommend further initiatives and actions that can be implemented by the off takers to improve productivity and quality of pyrethrum produces from smallholder farmers.
Country Schedule for Assignment:
|
Day |
Activity |
Location |
Estimated days |
|
Pre-Assessment Tasks |
|
TBD |
|
|
Day 1 |
|
Dar es Salaam |
|
|
Day 2 -4 |
|
Mafinga/Makete |
3 |
|
Day 5 |
|
Mafinga |
1 |
|
Day 6-7 |
|
Makete-Njombe |
2 |
|
Day 8 |
|
Njombe |
1 |
|
Day 9-10
|
|
Makete |
2 |
|
Day 11-12 |
|
Makete |
2 |
|
Day 13-14 |
|
Makete |
2 |
|
Day 15 |
|
Makete |
1 |
|
Day 16-17 |
|
Makete |
2 |
|
Day 18-19 |
|
Makete |
2 |
|
Day 20 |
|
Mafinga |
1 |
|
Day 21 |
|
Dar |
1 |
|
Total |
|
|
21 |
Expertise of Volunteer Experts Requested:
Higher university degree in crop production, agronomy, agricultural science, or a related field
8 years’ experience in crop production, agronomy best practices and post-harvest handling
Experience with training on pyrethrum production principles and best practices will be an added advantage.
Knowledge on pyrethrum production and farm management also preferable
Experience with training and mentoring subsistence farmers in Tanzania or Sub-Saharan Africa preferred.
Good writing and analytical skills, interpersonal communication, and presentation skills (adult education skills), ability and desire to teach in both classroom and field settings.
Ability to quickly adapt to new working environments and use interpreters.
Ability to sense and identify if the interpretation is correct and farmers understand training content.
Good facilitation skills
Flexibility and ability to work with large groups of varying ages, experiences, and literacy levels.