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Background
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is an African-led institution working across the continent to multiply the scale of agricultural innovations that help smallholder farmers towards increased incomes, better livelihoods, and improved food security (AGRA, 2022b). AGRA envisions Africa as a continent that feeds itself and the world while transforming smallholder agriculture from a solitary struggle to an agribusiness. AGRA takes cognizance that African smallholder farmers need uniquely tailored African solutions to their context-specific agricultural and environmental challenges, enabling them to boost production and access rapidly growing agricultural markets sustainably.
In collaboration with its partners, AGRA’s programming has been recognized as a strong voice of African agricultural transformation and rural development, supporting thousands of African agribusinesses and millions of smallholder families to improve their livelihoods (AGRA, 2022c). This is evidenced in partnerships with governments, donors, the private sector, and development actors that have heavily invested in promoting seed security among smallholders, with increased initiatives in breeding, commercialization and distribution of higher-quality seeds through National Seed Systems (AGRA, 2022a), targeting both formal and informal systems to avail improved germplasm into the hands of smallholders (McEwan et al., 2023; Gumucio et al., 2021 and Brearley and Kramer, 2020). Seed gives the highest return on investment (ROI) of any agricultural venture and is the most basic agricultural input, readily adopted by farmers and an intervention preferred to re-establish the livelihoods of farmers affected by disasters (Mgonja, 2011). Thus, evolving seed systems are a conglomeration of the repository of knowledge passed down through generations and the result of continual adaptation and innovation in the face of ever-greater challenges for food security (CABI, 2014). Seed systems are critical in ensuring food security, livelihoods, and agricultural development in Africa. Consequently, achieving seed security so that smallholders have timely and affordable access to sufficient quality seed is fundamental.
However, in the intricate space of seed systems (seed selection, production, maintenance, and distribution practices), AGRA takes cognizance that men and women smallholders play distinct yet often interwoven roles, guided by the specific crops, contextual and socio-cultural settings. These roles are frequently impacted by prevailing gender stereotypes, which assign certain crops as ‘women’s crops’ or ‘men’s crops,’ and are further influenced by the potential for commercializing, differentiating them into food and cash crops (Orr, Tuskata, Kee-Tui, & Msere, 2016). Consequently, the distribution of power (agency) and access to seeds is significantly influenced by gender relations, perpetuating inequalities in the current seed systems (Puskur, 2021). In Africa, access to seeds is a crucial factor that directly shapes the prosperity and progress of smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth. Access to seed pilots the need to access and use other inputs such as fertilizers, herbicides, and postharvest management practices. However, despite their significant contributions to agriculture, most seed systems and their products remain out of reach of women and youth, limiting adoption. These disparities arise from deeply entrenched social and gender norms and social structures that limit women’s and youth’s opportunities to access and benefit from seed resources. Uncoordinated initiatives of public and private actors in the African seed systems compound the situation.
AGRA took cognizance of the aforementioned challenges to address the seed security disparities in Africa by launching the Center of Excellence for Seed Systems in Africa (CESSA) in 2021. The center began operations in 2022. CESSA’s mission is to bring together key players in the seed industry, address critical gaps and enhance capacities to develop varieties that directly meet the needs of Sub-Saharan African (SSA) farmers. Working with governments, the private sector, and development partners, CESSA aims to revolutionize seed systems, making them modern, efficient, and resilient, ultimately benefitting African farmers. The focus is on strengthening every aspect of the seed value chain, from variety development and release to the production and distribution of both early-generation and certified seeds. Farmer awareness and participation are at the core of CESSA’s strategy, ensuring farmers are empowered with the knowledge and resources to make informed choices. Quality assurance is also a priority to ensure farmers receive the highest standard of seeds.
Further, CESSA plays a pivotal role in influencing national planning, policies, and regulatory frameworks, advocating for an inclusive and equitable seed system that uplifts the livelihoods of smallholder farmers across the continent. To complement programming on seed systems, AGRA concurrently launched SeedSAT, an assessment tool developed to collaboratively undertake in-depth country seed system analysis with governments and other stakeholders, leading to improvements that increase the delivery and use of improved seed varieties. The tool is intended to leverage, not duplicate, the information aggregated from existing resources and assessments.
AGRA also acknowledges the imbalances in seed security between gender categories and thus commissioned the High Lands Centre of Leadership for Development (L4D) to assess gender gaps using AGRA’s SeedSAT tool across six focal countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, and Uganda. The outcomes of these evaluations, in conjunction with the gender gap analysis within national seed systems, serve as a foundation for AGRA’s provision of information about CESSA’s offerings. In line with the SeedSAT indicators, gender gaps analysis from the study identified the gaps in the tool meant to be used to understand the function of the national seed system from the gender perspective. This resulted in proposed improvements for some of the existing indicators, and new indicators were proposed to strengthen gender integration in the national seed system development. Based on the aforementioned, AGRA is commissioning this consultancy to popularize CESSA and the engendered SeedSAT tool to promote gender-inclusive seed systems.
Objectives of the Consultancy
AGRA is seeking to recruit a consultant to support the popularization of the engendered SeedSAT and CESSA programs across four countries. This will be achieved through targeted workshops and stakeholder engagement activities aimed at increasing awareness, understanding, and adoption of proposed gender integration interventions.
Specific objectives:
- To design and execute an awareness campaign in the select four AGRA focus countries to popularize the adoption of the engendered SeedSAT tool among different user groups, including farmer organizations, policymakers, and research institutions.
- To review of seed policies, legal and regulatory frameworks on gender aspects (gender equality, equity, and women’s empowerment) in the national seed systems
- To validate the gaps and opportunities identified in the current SeedSAT tool in collaboration with stakeholders in the select four AGRA focus countries.
- To engage key stakeholders, including government agencies, research institutions, seed companies, and farmer organizations, promoting the use of the gendered SeedSAT tool and adoption of the proposed potential gender responsive interventions.
Scope of Work and Tasks
The consultancy will involve but not limited to the following key activities:
- To conduct a review of seed policies, legal and regulatory frameworks on gender aspects (gender equality, equity, and women’s empowerment) in the national seed system and provide recommendations for adopting gender responsive national seed systems.
- Design an outreach strategy for the select four AGRA focus countries to popularize the gender SeedSAT tool among different user groups, including farmer organizations, policymakers, and research institutions.
- Facilitate sessions in convenings for key stakeholders, including government agencies, research institutions, seed companies, farmer organizations, and NGOs, to validate the gaps identified in the current SeedSAT tool, promote understanding and adoption of the proposed potential gender responsive interventions.
- Document outcomes from the convenings and prepare a report with recommendations on improving the use of gendered SeedSAT tool.
- Provide regular progress reports to AGRA and relevant Country Directors.
Duration
The consultancy is expected to be conducted over a period of 6 months from the contract signing date, with all deliverables submitted by the agreed-upon deadline.
Location of the assignment
The popularization of engendered SeedSAT will be carried out in Ghana, Ethiopia, Malawi and Uganda. The learnings and key successes from this assignment will be replicated in other countries of focus.
Qualifications and Experience
- This consultancy will require an individual consultant with expertise and/experience in gender, seed systems and communications.
- Master’s degree or equivalent in gender and development, agriculture, sociology, or another field relevant to this assignment.
- Masters in seed systems, seed science, technology and trade, plant breeding, agronomy, or any other field relevant to this assignment.
- Proven expertise in gender analysis for seed systems, design and review of programs focused on gender equality, equity, and mainstreaming.
- At least seven years of research experience and gender integration in the agriculture sector across Africa.
- Understanding stakeholder mapping and engagement to facilitate validation workshops.
- Experience developing partnerships and collaborations with Governments, international development agencies, local organizations, and authorities, especially on agrifood systems in SSA.
- Understanding of national policy environment and government initiative around women and youth engagement in agriculture.
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