Background

Purpose
The purpose of the consultancy is to provide professional extension services to 70 small-scale agricultural producers – LID Project beneficiaries in the field of agricultural production, with a primary focus on strengthening their capacities to generate income throughout modern production techniques and good agriculture practices. This in turn will benefit the rural communities of the targeted producers resulting in the establishment of sustainable agricultural value chains.

Objective
The principal objective of this assignment is to support 70 small-scale agricultural producers – LID Project beneficiaries - with agricultural extension services and technical assistance. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, all 70 Project beneficiaries were supported by the Project with production kits consisting of seedlings, plant protection products, fertilizers and irrigation system. Through regular field visits to the Project beneficiaries during the period from April 2018 to October 2018, the selected Agronomist will guide the producers towards higher yields and quality products through the usage of modern agriculture techniques and good agricultural practices.  

Background
This Project activity will be implemented within the scope of “Local Integrated Development Project” (LID).  LID Project is a three-year initiative (2016-2018) primarily financed by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNDP in BiH), in cooperation with the State Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees, Ministry of Development, Entrepreneurship and Crafts of the Federation of BiH, Ministry of Administration and Local Self-Government of RS and two Associations of Cities and Municipalities.

The LID Project is implemented in 21 local self-governance units in BiH with the aim to raise the standards of living and social cohesion in Bosnia and Herzegovina through inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development. Within the component for economic recovery, the LID Project will directly support rural households in order to increase overall economic activity in targeted communities, and productivity of value chains resulting in the establishment of sustainable agricultural holdings and long-term sources of income for those households. Special focus will be given to the vulnerable categories of the population: returnees, internally displaced persons, households affected by floods in May of 2014, people with disabilities, Roma and other minorities, youth and women from vulnerable areas and long-term unemployed.


Selected Agronomist will be working closely with 70 project beneficiaries who started the production of cherries, hazelnuts, raspberries and strawberries. An overview of project beneficiaries per each value chain and location(s) is given in the table below:

             Value chains and Number of Beneficiaries
             Location/Hazelnut and Strawberry/Cherry and Strawberry/Raspberry

  • Celinac 5, 1, 0
  • Modrica 1, 2, 0
  • Mostar 0, 4, 0
  • Orašje 7, 0, 0
  • Prijedor 0, 0, 38
  • Šamac 3, 0, 0
  • Žepce 9, 0, 0

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of work
The Agronomist will work under the direct supervision of the LID Economic Development Coordinator and will be accountable for, but not limited to, the following responsibilities:

  • Technical assistance to the LID Project team;
  • Monitoring, extension services and technical assistance to 70 Project beneficiaries/producers;
  • Reporting.

Task 1. Technical assistance to the LID Project team

  • Designs a comprehensive work plan regarding the extension and technical services provided to 70 project beneficiaries/producers within the respective value chains. The work plan should incorporate all necessary technical information related to the service delivery, including the detailed description of activities and measures that should be undertaken;
  • Assists the delivery of input supplies (seedlings, irrigation systems, plant protection and fertilizers);
  • Provides support in all aspects of quality assurance (e.g. plant health, certification, quality of inputs provided etc.);
  • Provides technical support to the LID Officer in charge of the target locality.

Task 2. Monitoring, extension service and technical assistance provided to 70 project beneficiaries/producers

  • Conducts regular field visits to 70 project beneficiaries/producers of cherries, hazelnuts, raspberries and strawberries, helping them understand and use modern technology and training them in more productive and sustainable agriculture; 
  • Provides regular extension services, trainings and technical assistance to 70 project beneficiaries/producers;
  • Educates and prepares beneficiaries for planting of seedlings;
  • Assists beneficiaries in planting of seedlings;
  • Advises beneficiaries and assists them in the installation of irrigation systems on plantations;

 

- A total of minimum seven (7) field visits to each raspberry producer must be completed including, but not limited to, the following activities: regular assessments of raspberry plantations condition, instructions for pesticide treatments and application of the fertilizers,  practical demonstration of plant growth and development; assessments of  health  and nutritional status of raspberry plants and provision of the relevant instructions; instructions for harvesting and packaging of raspberries;  instructions for postharvest treatments; provision of information on the estimated volume of production and market trends; organization of the meeting of raspberry producers with potential buyers in Prijedor; guidelines for final fertilization of the plants in 2018, instructions for plant treatments and growth for 2019; assessment of proper functioning of the irrigation systems and installed anti-hail nets; instructions for anti-hail net installation outside the operating regime;  verbal and written instructions that clearly document how to resolve all issues in production; all verbal instructions should be complemented by written notes and delivered to the producers during the visits; assessments of the delivery rate of the envisaged activities; discussion with the producers about the achieved results and lessons-learned; calendar of farming activities and measures to be undertaken in 2019; any other activities deemed necessary.

- A total of minimum six (6) field visits to each hazelnut/strawberry producer and minimum seven (7) to each cherry/strawberry producer must be completed including, but not limited to, the following activities:
Hazelnut: regular assessments of the hazelnut plantations condition; instructions for and practical demonstration of pruning; instructions for necessary pesticides treatments and application of fertilizers; assessment of health and nutritional status of plants and provision of the relevant instructions; instructions for weed control; instructions for plant shoots removal; assessment of the intensity of plants growth;  verbal and written instructions that clearly document how to resolve all issues in production;  calendar of farming activities and measures to be undertaken in 2019; any other activities deemed necessary.
Strawberry: regular assessments of the strawberry plantations condition; instructions for pesticide and application of fertilizers; assessment of health and nutritional status of plants; instructions for all measurers needed to be done on the plantations; instructions for acting in case of possible frost;  instructions for strawberry fertigation;  particular attention paid to strawberry plants in the period of flowering, fruit setting, fertilization, development and ripening; estimated volume of production; instructions for postharvest treatments; instructions for dormancy of strawberry; discussion with the producers about the achieved results and lessons-learned; calendar of farming activities and measures to be undertaken in 2019; any other activities deemed necessary.
Cherry: coordination of delivery of input supplies to Project beneficiaries/producers ensuring quality assurance; assistance to beneficiaries in planting of seedlings; advice regarding the installation of irrigation systems on plantations; assessment and instructions for additional cultivation measures after the planting; instructions for weed control; instructions for pesticide treatments and application of fertilizers; instructions for pruning; instructions for maintenance of plantations; discussion with the producers about the achieved results and lessons-learned;  calendar of farming activities and measures to be undertaken in 2019; any other activities deemed necessary.

Task 3. Reporting

  • Activity progress reports
  • Final Report.

 

Deliverables and timelines

The Agronomist is responsible for the following deliverables:
Deliverables Timeline

Task 1: Technical assistance to the LID team (2.5 days) 

  • Delivery of a detailed work plan for the development of four value chains including all activities in the agriculture sector to be accomplished in the target localities (calendar of activities for production throughout the year, harvest, and postharvest handling of the products); (0.5 day);
  • Coordination of delivery of input supplies to Project beneficiaries/producers, quality assurance of the input supplies (e.g. plant health, certification, quality of inputs provided etc.) and submission of the relevant supporting documentation the LID Project team. (2 days)  23 April 2018 

Task 2:  Monitoring, extension service and technical assistance provided to 70 Project beneficiaries/producers

  • Field visits to 70 Project beneficiaries/producers providing tailored technical assistance and advising on the usage of all input supplies (seedlings, irrigation systems, plant protection products and fertilizers); Monitoring and assisting beneficiaries/producers in high-quality production through the usage of modern production techniques and good agricultural practices as indicated in the section - Scope of work;
  • Delivery of the supporting material (in written form) to 70 beneficiaries/producers including all information required to establish sustainable value chains (e.g. instructions, guidelines, recommendations to all producers during the visits, calendar of all activities and measures to be undertaken in 2019, etc), (48 days),  08 October 2018

 
Task 3: Reporting (2.5 days) 

  • Activity Progress reports

The Activity progress reports will contain the outcomes of Project’s support to selected 70 Project beneficiaries/producers after each visit including information on technical assistance provided to Project beneficiaries, assessment of the producers, up-to date data on achieved production and quantities by the individual Project beneficiaries and other relevant information on implementation of project activities. These reports should include the photos of producer, his/her plantations and given instructions. (2 days), On a monthly basis (after each visit) 
 

  • Final report

The Final Report will review and encompass the assessments of plantations and overall progress in the implementation of the Project activities. This Report should also include the recommendations and lessons learned sections, with the elaboration of the ideas that could be integrated into new project proposals or programmed into existing activities. In addition, the report should contain the data on generated production revenues and quantities by the Project beneficiaries in 2018.  (0.5 day) 15 October 2018

 

Competencies

Competencies
The minimum required experiences of the proposed Consultant are:

Core Values:

  • Demonstrates integrity by upholding the UN’s values and ethical standards
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, national and age sensitivity and adaptability
  • Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Core Competencies:

  • Knowledge in agribusiness and state of the art agricultural techniques and practices
  • Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office and in the field
  • Ability to assist in implementation, monitoring and evaluation of agriculture projects
  • Good communication skills, both orally and in writing, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different audiences.

Building trust:

  • Deals openly, honestly and transparently with issues, resources and people.

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications:

  • University Degree in Agriculture and minimum 3 years of relevant experience;
  • Specific field experience in cherry, hazelnut, raspberry and strawberry production;
  • Experience involving the provision of technical assistance to producers;
  • Previous experience with an international public and/or private sector organization would be considered as an additional asset;
  • Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, PPT etc.);
  • Readiness for intensive field work, using own car;
  • Driver's license required;
  • Excellent command of B/C/S languages;
  • Fair command of English.

Note: Travel and logistical costs are to be borne by the incumbent and hence included in the financial offer.

Evaluation

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

  • Technical Criteria weight-70%
  • Financial Criteria weight- 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points for technical criteria assessment would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Applicants are required to submit an application including:

Please scan all above mentioned documents and upload as one attachment only online through this website.

Note:

  • For an assignment requiring travel, consultants of 62 years or more require full medical examination and statement of fitness to work to engage in the consultancy;
  • Due to large number of potential applicants, only competitively selected candidates will be contacted for remaining steps of the

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points for technical criteria assessment would be considered for the Financial Evaluation