Consultancy to Document Technologies – Entebbe – Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa

Background
Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda and the World Bank jointly designed a ten-year Eastern Africa Agriculture Productivity Project (EAAPP). As a regional project, it fits within the development framework of the World Bank, COMESA and ASARECA because it (i) supports activities that is coordinated across four countries, (ii) generates benefits that spill over country boundaries, and (iii) provides a platform for policy harmonization.
The Project Development Objectives (PDO) are to; i) enhance regional specialization in agricultural research, ii) enhance collaboration in agriculture training and technology dissemination, and iii) facilitate increase of transfer of agricultural technologies, information and knowledge across national boundaries. The PDO were planned to be accomplished in ten years period, divided into two phases of five years each. Phase I is closing on 31, December, 2015 and EAAPP is ready for phase II after fulfilling all the triggers.

Phase I focus
Phase I focused on establishing and strengthening the regional centres of excellence (RCoE) in four priority commodities; dairy RCoE in Kenya, rice RCoE in Tanzania, cassava RCoE in Uganda and wheat RCoE in Ethiopia. This included i) building RCoEs as agricultural technology generation, knowledge and information hubs and be able to facilitate the process of institutional learning and change, ii) building capacity of the implementers to have the right skills for addressing regional priorities, and iii) generating appropriate pathways for diffusing agriculture technologies, innovations and management practices for the beneficiaries across the four countries. This involved increasing collaboration among researchers, extension agents and other stakeholders along the value chain, initiating harmonization of policy and regulatory frameworks necessary for facilitating the smooth sharing of technologies, knowledge and information and catalyzing more collaboration

Technologies generated
The Independent Evaluation Report and the project results framework have found that EAAPP has generated 138 new technologies, innovations and management practices out of which 23 were disseminated across national borders. beneficiaries with information and knowledge about the improved technologies; and among those, 6 of them were using them. overs were noted across other ASARECA countries such as South Sudan, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
A synopsis of the Regional Centres of Excellence under EAAPP
1. Wheat (Ethiopia): The main priority areas include: (i) wheat germplasm enhancement including characterization, hybridisation, germplasm acquisition; and disease monitoring and surveillance; enhancing rain fed wheat production, including variety development, weed and pest management; and development of farm implements; (iii) breeder and pre-basic seed production; (iv) socio-economics of wheat research; and (v) technologies for wheat production
2. Smallholder Dairy (Kenya): Regional priority areas include: (i) animal genetic improvement including genetic resource characterization, breeding, upgrading of local genetic resources; (ii) feed resource utilization including fodder/pasture, crop residues, feed conservation, and farming systems; (iii) animal health including policy and regulatory/quality assurance services; (iv) processing and value addition for dairy products; and (v) socio-economic including policy analysis, feasibility studies, input/output market analysis, and gender studies.
3. Rice (Tanzania): Regional priority areas include: (i) breeding resistance to biotic stresses – diseases and pests – and a biotic stresses – drought and cold tolerance, salinity and toxicity; (ii) germplasm collection and characterization; (iii) integrated production and management for soil, water and pests; (iv) post harvest processing, marketing and value addition; and (v) development of labour saving technologies.
4. *Cassava (Uganda)**:* Regional priority areas include: (i) developing varieties with high value agronomic and processing traits and disease resistance; (ii) addressing nutritional allied deficiencies of communities dependent on cassava as a major staple; (iii) enhancing productivity, value addition and commercialization including improving access to regional and global markets; and (iv) identification and management of information and technologies at national and regional levels.
Regional Organization, the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) provides member countries in EAAPP with a platform for facilitation of the regional approaches and mechanisms. It provides this by facilitating: (i) produced in the absence of shared goals and a regional mechanism; and (iii) supporting sharing of knowledge and experiences with institutional innovation for more effective agricultural research for development (AR4D), Extension and Agricultural Training and Education.
The roles of ASARECA in EAAPP include; (i) convening; (ii) networking; (iii) technical backstop out-scaling of technologies, innovations and best practices across the four countries, activities, namely: (1) activities on inventory of proven technologies and packaging them in formats for wide dissemination to stakeholders
1). The filled proformas containing information on available technologies, innovations and management practices (TIMPS) on cassava, dairy, rice and wheat have been submitted to ASARECA. The inventoried TIMPS range from improved varieties (for cassava, rice and wheat), livestock breeds, crop and dairy production and management practices including disease control/management; post harvest and value addition technologies. In total information describing slightly over 300 TIMPS has been collected through this tool.
Objectives of the consultancy
The overall objective of the consultancy is to compile the information on the TIMPs that has been generated and shared across the national boundaries, synthesize and organize it in well structured ASARECA format (attached) to produce a document that will provide synopsis of the TIMPs ready for online publication as well as hard copy document.
Scope of work

The specific tasks include to:
(1) Take stock of the generated 23 TIMPS that were shared across national boundaries and develop a document using the ASARECA format for each commodity under EAAPP. harvest and value addition TIMPS; (d) other types of TIMPS. The format for presenting this information will be agreed at a debriefing/inception meeting at the start of the consultancy
(2) Collect, document and carryout scientific editing of the collected 23 information on TIMPS to ensure that: (i) the content is flowing well and readable (ii) is appealing to a wider audience. Thus, as part of the effort to formulate the regional technology pool, inventory of proven technologies with the required information should be the key deliverable.

Time frame
This consultancy should be done within the following timelines:
1. The first draft of the documentation of 23 TIMPs – must be completed by 31st January 2016 ready for discussion by stakeholders.
2. Detailed final documentary of TIMPs must be ready by 15 February, 2016 for final consultation and acceptance. Details of work will be discussed at the inception/debriefing meeting to be attended by ASARECA and the consultant. ASARECA will be represented by the EAAPP manager and Interim Technical Officer for Knowledge management, learning, monitoring and evaluation. The materials/facilities to be provided and related support from ASARECA should me highlighted here

Deliverables
The deliverables under this consultancy include:
3. A brief inception report by end of 1st week. The report should include an agreed outline of the outputs reports and a schedule or time table of the key activities and milestones.
4. A documentation of TIMPs. This should provide brief outline of the TMPs in each of the commodities underEAAPP
All deliverables should be submitted to the EAAPP Manager

Responsibilities of ASARECA
The EAAPP manager will manage this consultancy. In this regard, the main channel of communication with ASARECA during the execution of this consultancy will be through the EAAPP Manager. ASARECA will provide all relevant information as needed.
ASARECA shall pay the consultancy fees and also meet the cost of any justifiable reimbursable expenses based on ASARECA approved rates.
Expertise Required
This consultancy requires an individual consultancy with minimum training at Master’s degree level in relevant field with professional experience in agricultural research and development with good skills in communication Knowledge in improved agricultural technology, and research-extension-farmer linkage is an advantage and gender.

HOW TO APPLY:
Procedures for procurement
Interested consultants should submit their CV not later than 28th December 2015 to: Procurement Officer, ASARECA Secretariat; P.O BOX 765; Entebbe Uganda; Plot 5 Mpigi Road; Email:procurement@asareca.org and copy v.akulumuka@asareca.org