Consultancy Opportunity

Title:	Poultry production management Training STTA – SPRODETA
Locations:	Mzimba, Malawi
Expected Assignment Period:	20 days (Jan-Feb 2025)

1. CASA PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

CASA is an FCDO – International Climate Finance (ICF) funded programme driving global investment for inclusive climate-resilient agri-food systems that increase smallholder incomes. CASA makes the case to impact and return-oriented investors for increased investment in agribusinesses that work with smallholder supply chains. The programme achieves this goal by:

• Demonstrating the commercial viability and investment-readiness of small and medium-sized (SME) agribusinesses with significant smallholder supply chains.
• Helping investors to increase the impact of their investments through the provision of inclusive technical assistance.
• Strengthening the socio-legal empowerment of smallholders within value chains; and
• Tackling the information and evidence gaps holding back investment

For demonstrating the commercial and development potential of smallholder sourcing models, CASA focuses on catalytic interventions in the agriculture sectors of Ethiopia, Malawi, Nepal and Rwanda that support agri-SMEs prepare for and secure investment while connecting smallholders to commercial markets.

CASA’s work on research and communications is structured around identifying constraints, opportunities and addressing evidence gaps through research; shaping the debate on smallholder agriculture to influence actions of investors, governments and donors; and creating networking opportunities through events and stakeholder engagement.

2. ASSIGNMENT BACKGROUND

 2.1 Partnership with SPRODETA

As part of its work in Malawi, CASA has partnered with SPRODETA – a local business that operates several agro-based enterprises including poultry – with the aim of facilitating the setting up of an inclusive poultry supply chain to contribute to expansion of the production volumes for indigenous poultry to meet the growing demand and increase sales volumes and profits for the company and smallholders. Through the partnership SPRODETA seek to set up an outgrower scheme through cooperative members and farmers from three EPAs in Mzimba to provide the company with live chickens, (as well as soybean and maize) which the company already offtakes from among the farmers that are not currently involved in poultry production at any meaningful scale. To achieve this SPRODETA agribusiness intends to engage 2,700 smallholder farmers (including women and the youth), under two cooperatives of, Kayolo and Chipereka, and 3 EPAs of Vibangalala, Manyamula and Kazomba with the aim of reinforcing their capacity in cooperative management, poultry production management and develop offtaker agreements for chickens, maize and soybean. This is aimed at contributing to the members economic empowerment, food and nutrition security at household level while meeting the growing market demand for SPRODETA. In the long run, the company would like to further increase its aggregation capacity, attract commercial/impact investment and use the funding to expand its business operations by investing in a feed mill, incubation and hatchery facilities, processing equipment for dressed chickens, refrigerated vehicle and freezers for storage of processed products.

To successfully deliver this task, CASA Malawi now intends to engage the services of a short-term poultry production management training expert to support SPRODETA train the smallholders mobilised into its outgrower scheme. This is aimed at ensuring good productivity for increased profitability and incomes for SPRODETA and the smallholders.

2.2 Partner Brief Background

SPRODETA Agribusiness is a commercial arm and a subsidiary of SPRODETA NGO. The local NGO was formed in 2009 and registered in 2012 with the aim of empowering marginalized men, women, and youths to achieve sustainable development. The vision of the NGO arm is to have food secure, resilient, economically viable, and empowered communities. Their mission is to enable beneficiaries to come together and carry out inclusive and sustainable development initiatives.

SPRODETA Agribusiness, CASA’s partner under this project, was incorporated as a private company, limited by shares on 6^th June 2020, fully compliant with statutory requirements pursuant to the Companies Act, (Chapter 46:02 of 2013). The company was set-up to bring on board a commercial aspect within SPRODETA NGO activities by undertaking commercial investments towards product aggregation, marketing and most importantly investment in value addition for improved incomes for smallholder producers. Towards this end, SPRODETA Agribusiness focuses on processing and marketing of products that are promoted by the NGO arm. SPRODETA Agribusiness offers a reliable marketing avenue for the products promoted by the NGO. Its activities are independent of the NGO activities, but it benefits from already organised and trained farmers to conduct its operations. The company has so far invested in construction and equipping the business centre in Ekwendeni, 20 km from the city of Mzuzu, that will serve as a breeding unit (incubator/hatchery), processing centre for meat (dressing chickens and goat meat) and corn-soy blend, as well as an outlet shop. The processing centre will have the capacity to process 2,500 chickens a month. The company is already working with two cooperatives namely Kayolo from Mzimba South and Chipeleka from Mzimba North.

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The main objective of this assignment is to set up a sustainable business management system for smallholders under the SPRODETA planned outgrower scheme through provision of improved poultry management training to SPRODETA field staff, leaders and some members so that they can provide technical backstopping support to the cooperatives that will be engaged in poultry production. This is aimed at reinforcing proper management practices for increased productivity and profitability among the smallholders.

The technical assistant is expected to cover topics such as feeding, biosecurity, disease control, costing/gross margin analysis among others. The selected STTA will draw lessons from previous training materials and training manuals developed under CASA Cohort 1 and 2 partnerships, where applicable. The training materials should be adapted and aligned to the needs of the cooperatives/outgrowers targeted by SPRODETA. The training content will be simplified into a format that can easily be used for further trainings by the trainers trained. Thus, through the intervention, CASA will support in building the capacity of SPRODETA staff and cooperative leaders in poultry management extension service provision.

The STTA is expected to mainstream elements of food and nutrition security; GESI and climate change adaptation during the trainings through allocation of slots for guest resource persons on these topics or incorporating the same in the training materials with input from CASA cross-cutting experts. The cross-cutting training sessions will be delivered through existing CASA engaged crosscut experts (or you from their input) or a local service provider that SPRODETA is linked to.

4. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall management of the CASA Market Manager for Poultry, the STTA will support SPRODETA to develop and execute the poultry management training delivery and training plan.

The specific duties of the STTA for the pilot phase include:

• Conduct a rapid technical capacity needs assessment, including evaluating the capacity needs towards housing, feeding, vaccinations, pests and disease management, and conducting gross margin analyses;
• Develop poultry/chicken production management extension/training materials, aligning them with the identified capacity needs for SPRODETA target farmers which must culminate into the production of comprehensive training materials for ToTs and leaders’ sessions;
• Conduct a ToT for SPRODETA’s field team and selected producer group leaders, ensuring representation by at least two group leaders per site/cluster;
• Supervise at least one training by the ToTs trained at the beginning to observe their understanding and guide the training
• Design a training delivery and monitoring plan for SPRODETA’s trainers and group leaders for further training of the rest of the group members. The plan will guide trainings for the rest of the group members and follow ups by field officers to provide technical backstopping to small-scale producers.
• Ensure all activities are done in collaboration with at least one of SPRODETA’s field staff for knowledge transfer and further technical training and backstopping

5. DELIVERABLES

The following are the required deliverables under this assignment:

1. Submission of the inception report outlining the assignment delivery methodology and approach and detailing the delivery schedule for all tasks planned under the assignment.
2. Delivery of a rapid capacity needs assessment report, clearly highlighting identified capacity needs including appropriate housing, feeding, vaccinations, capacity of the small-scale producers to identify and manage pests and diseases and gross margin analyses.
3. Delivery of the training manuals on quail production and management that include a translated version (Tumbuka or Chichewa) to ensure ease of cascading the knowledge and skills to other beneficiary farmers of the project.
4. Submission of the backstopping training delivery and monitoring plan for ToTs;
5. Delivery of the Training of Trainers Report, including list of the trainers/staff and group leaders trained including a section on supervision of trainers’ delivery of training and remedial actions proposed for improvement
6. Monthly timesheet after completion of every month, within 10 days of the following month.
7. Other deliverables as per the needs of the project partners as determined by CASA Country Team.

The indicative delivery timelines are summarised in the table below. The final allocation of days will be agreed between the consultant and CASA team, in liaison with the client.

 Deliverable Timelines

No	Deliverable	Timeline
1	Inception Report,	Jan 10th, 2025,
2	Training needs Assessment Report	Jan 17th, 2025
3	Submission of Training manuals	Jan 24th, 2025
4	Delivery of Trainer of Trainers (ToT) and leaders training	Feb 7th, 2025
5	Technical backstopping, and post-training follow-up plan submission	Feb 7th 2025
6	Draft report	Feb 14th 2025
7	Final report	Feb 21st, 2025

6. DURATION

The assignment is expected to take 20 workdays in Jan-Feb 2025.

 7. QUALITY ASSURANCE

 CASA and the project partner will be responsible for assuring the quality of the training materials to ensure that the information given is reliable and sufficient to guide technical backstopping to SPRODETA Agribusiness’s team and practical implementation of the poultry management among small-scale producer; and that any potential limitations of information given is clearly highlighted. The CASA Country team and SPRODETA will discuss and agree the expected criteria for quality with the successful applicant and will oversee the quality of each deliverable.

8. REQUIREMENTS and EXPERTISE

• Demonstrated track-record in providing training and capacity building activities to smallholder poultry farmers in production and management, practical knowledge and experience in vaccinations, pests and disease management,
• Experience in farmer organisation development, extension service provision, especially in agro-based businesses.
• Practical knowledge and ability to innovate and adapt production systems from purely subsistence to commercially oriented
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Adeptness and practical application of CASA’s crosscutting themes of gender equality and social inclusion; climate change and environment; and food and nutrition security in training sessions
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills in English, including excellent drafting and presentation skills
• Willingness to take on new assignments at short notice and to travel frequently to remote areas.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment within defined policies and practices.
• Readiness to travel to Mzimba district.

9. MODE OF APPLICATION

Applicants should send an EOI comprising the following:

1. An EOI submission letter outlining your suitability for the role and stating your preferred daily rate in GBP (maximum two pages)
2. A proposed methodology for the assignment (Maximum 4 pages)
3. Up to date CV suitably tailored to the TORs concentrating only on relevant experience. Emphasis will be placed on consultancy experience in the last 10 years (Maximum 3 pages)

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis and we will settle for the first suitable candidate we get even before the deadline.

Applications should be received before Monday 11^th November 2024. Send applications to rhch@niras.com Indicate the position being applied for in the subject line.