TERMS OF REFERENCE

• BACKGROUND INFORMATION

DanChurchAid is seeking a consultant / consultant team (hereinafter ”the consultant) to assess the implementation of projects/programmes related to agroecology financed by the European Union Delegations (EUD) in Africa. The study shall focus on Uganda, Kenya, DRC, Burkina Faso and Senegal. From these projects/programmes, the study shall evaluate the support to smallholders and linkages to territorial markets, the guidance received on agroecology programming, partners and stakeholders’ involvement, and relate this to the promotion of agroecology by the EUDs and assess the funding directed to agroecology compared to the amount directed to industrial agriculture. From identified barriers and opportunities to mainstream policy and financial support to agroecology, the study shall identify recommendations to key stakeholders, incl. EU and national policy makers and donors. The study is made in collaboration with ActionAid, Caritas Africa, Caritas Europa, Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité (CIDSE), Broederlijk Delen, Dreikönigsaktion der Katholischen Jungschar (DKA Austria), Misereor, Entraide et Fraternité, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) and Eastern and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) (hereinafter “the reference group”).

Exposing the financing gap on agroecology alone may not deliver any change. Rather, there is need to demonstrate where and how (peasant) agroecology is already delivering on agrobiodiversity, on climate adaptation, resilience to extreme weather, equality and poverty reduction, on health and conflict prevention, (i.e., sustaining and creating livelihoods, easing pressure on migration) and responsible business conduct. Hence, this study will examine how to best increase the direct (finances) or indirect (infrastructure, territorial marketing, extension services) support to peasant agroecology and local communities through agriculture programmes and identify the most suitable actors to implement them.

Following the EP elections in 2024, the support to the European Green Deal and an agroecological transition risks being diminished with EU foreign policies focusing more on strategic economic interests. Financing for international partnerships and traditional cooperation of the EU is expected to be significantly affected. More of the EU’s offensive and strategic economic interests will be put forward in the foreign policies, seeking access to energy and raw materials, trade opportunities, investing in large-scale infrastructure projects and strategic corridors. Most likely, this will also mean continued support to a productivist agricultural agenda, focussing on intensive agriculture using synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and improved seeds or NGT/GMOs. Agroecology may be dismissed as unproductive and inefficient.

• CONTRACT PURPOSE AND EXPECTED RESULTS

Overall objective:

The overall aim of the study is to understand the barriers and opportunities to mainstream policy and financial support to agroecology as part of the EU external support to agriculture in partner countries. This will contribute to formulate recommendations to EU stakeholders but also national governments, local CSOs and other stakeholders relating to the need for an agroecological transition.

Purpose:

The purpose of the study is to a) enhance capacity of CSO partners to engage with officials on the need for financing agroecology in selected countries, b) achieve increased policy support from national government actors for agroecology in five pilot countries, c) strengthen advocacy capacity to ensure the inclusion of agroecology in AU and member countries’ strategies and declarations.

Results to be achieved by the Contractor:

1. Inception report

2. First draft report

2. Second draft report

2. Final report, including recommendations

• SCOPE OF THE SERVICES

The research should be based on agricultural projects supported by EUD in Uganda, Kenya, DRC, Burkina Faso and Senegal, and draw perspectives to the wider African continent. The analysis should include at least 5 projects from each selected country. The final report should be based on a combination of desk research and in-country / country specific research, including interviews.

The final version of the report should be able to:

• Identify the barriers and enabling factors to EUDs for promoting agroecology and local sustainable agriculture in the selected countries
• Analyse a relevant number of agriculture projects funded by the EUDs in selected countries since 2020, to assess if and how they contribute to the agroecological transition and who benefits relating to agrobiodiversity, climate adaptation, resilience to extreme weather, equality and poverty reduction, on health and conflict prevention, and responsible business conduct.
• Analyse the potential discrepancy of EU policies promoting sustainable food systems relating to investments into industrial agriculture vis-a-vis agroecological transition.
• Recommend relevant EU institutions (incl. EUD/INTPA), governments and local actors (public or civil society entities) on solutions to overcome the barriers identified in the report. The recommendations should help advocate towards the EU to allocate more funding to agroecology, in support of smallholder farmers and food producers. These can include methodological and policy frameworks that are necessary in the future to determine the level of financial support to agroecology by EUDs as this is currently challenging to monitor and formulate recommendations.

The report should to the extent possible be based on the following data:

Desk research (estimated 10 days of work):

• Examine EU/Member States finance contribution to agroecology in national budgets and country programming, as much as data allows;

  Review existing relevant documents, action plans, contracts, road maps, multi-annual programming, to assess quantity and quality of finance for agroecology and to compare with other forms of agriculture;

• Examine multi-annual project documents and contracts at country level (rather than Multiannual Indicative Programme);

• Mapping of financial, programming and project commitments, disbursements and state of play of AE in the selected countries.

• Analysis of government policies related to agriculture and agroecology in the selected countries.

Country-specific research (estimated 15 days of work):

• Interviews with the EUD staff and local (CSO) actors and analysis of country-specific policy documents on agriculture. The reference group will be able to support identifying relevant CSO actors. The consultant is welcome to assign members of its team to carry out interviews, which ideally takes place in-country.

The specific tasks to be carried out by the Contractor include an inception report, a first draft report, a second draft report and a final report including recommendations.

The Contracting Authority is DanChurchAid (DCA), who is responsible for payments to the consultant. The Contractor however reports to the wider reference group.

• TIMING, LOGISTICS AND FACILITIES

The Contracting Authority will not be providing any equipment (including laptop) nor office accommodation, which should be covered by the Contractor him/herself. The Contractor should include travel expenses in his/her offer, which should be covered in the global price offered. There is no preference as to where the Contractor is based during the contract period.

15 November 2024: Contract will commence (interviews are potentially held in the week 11-15 November)

1st December 2024: Inception report submitted (the inception report submission is followed by a 1.5-hourconsultation with the reference group (in English) at a time TBC and written feedback)

15 December 2024: First draft report submitted (the draft report submission is followed by a 1.5-hour consultation with the reference group (in English) at a time TBC and written feedback)

1 March 2025: Second draft of the report, including recommendations, submitted (submission is followed by a 1.5-hour consultation with the reference group (in English) at a time TBC and written feedback)

15 March 2025: Final report submitted

15 March – 1 June 2025: Support sharing of recommendations to relevant stakeholders incl. during launch of report.

• REPORTING

Inception report: should set out the conceptual framework to be used in the study, the key evaluation questions and methodology, including information on data sources and collection, sampling and key indicators.

First draft report: should include a table of content, background chapter, methodology chapter and analysis from desk research (as identified above).

Upon receipt of this report, the Consultant will receive a payment of 50 % of the Global Price.

Second draft report: should include final versions of the background chapter, methodology chapter, analysis, conclusions and recommendations.

Final report: final report including adjustments from feedback to the second draft report in French and English version. The report should be done in English and shared in a soft copy with the Contracting Authority. The Contractor is responsible for the quality of the translation of the report into French.

Upon receipt of this report, the Consultant will receive a payment of the remaining 50 % of the Global Price.

• QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

The consultant must possess a comprehensive background knowledge on the field of agroecology as well as background knowledge on EU external action & EU development policies. Further, the consultant should be able to understand and draw perspectives from CSOs work in agriculture. To be able to carry out the full analysis, the consultant must possess good quantitative and qualitative analytical skills. The consultant must be fluent in both English and French or facilitate translation of interviews and the final report (either way, the consultant will be responsible for the quality of the translation).