Consultant for Fertilizer Use by Crops (FUBC) Survey in Nigeria at International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC)

Objectives of the consultancy

• To determine consumption of fertilizer type per crop at national level for Nigeria
• To determine Fertilizer Use by Crop (FUBC) per product at state level
• To calculate estimates of FUBC per nutrient at state level using past 5 years data available (2018-2021/22)
• To establish a cost-efficient framework for establishing the consumption estimates as well as the FUBC

Rationale

Real fertilizer consumption statistics are not readily available and in order to conduct a fertilizer consumption study, various sources of data have to be looked into, both formal and informal. However, there are various limitations on the data that can be availed across the fertilizer value chain.
The need to understand national fertilizer consumption, is key for stakeholders on both sides of the divide i.e., public and private sector. Trade data, which is readily available, provides a good starting point on the fertilizers available in the market in a given period/season, however, a further step to assess the consumption and develop data sets by region/agro-ecological zones -> by crop (major crops both staple and cash crops) -> by fertilizer nutrient (N, P, K, S, Ca etc.), provides a better understanding on what the actual application rates (based on land cultivated) and volumes (by product) consumed by farmers. All this being important for:

• Public sector- Monitor agricultural productivity; monitor achievement of Abuja/Malabo declarations; research on nutrient recommendation (by crop and region); develop fertilizer policies (availing the appropriate fertilizers in the market-through subsidy or regulations) etc.
• Private sector- Monitor demand and supply; Gap analysis of appropriate fertilizers; investment in soil and crop nutrient uptake analysis, installation of processing facilities etc.

Expected outputs

• Compile, describe, and develop a SWOT analysis on sources and national (or regional) data available (and methodologies used to compile secondary data) to calculate real consumption of fertilizers and Fertilizer Use by Crop. Results of actual consumption of fertilizer type by crop based on analysis of the primary data collected. This will result in statistics related to FUBC. The descriptive analysis will be able to highlight the fertilizer usage per crop presented in tables, charts and graphs. The FUBC will be analyzed per state and per crop as well. There will be comparison on usage per state, per crop and per fertilizer type to inform future data collection in case there is need to delve into furtherance of other aspects this research.
• Provide estimates of real consumption by product per crop at a national level from period 2018-2021/22) as per FAOSTAT/IFASTAT formats attached in the annex of the TOR. The estimates will depend on the primary data from the field collected through various means including but not limited to questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions (FDGs) and Key Informant Interviews (KII)
• Calculate estimates of FUBC per nutrient per crop (or groups of crops) at country level for years 2018-2021/22 as per IFA format.
• Detailed information on data sets developed using expert guidance/assumptions and recommend how to deal with missing / gaps in the data as well as identification of cost-effective ways of data collection for future updates in the context of Nigeria.

Estimated Timelines

• It is estimated that the assignment will need a total of 10-12 weeks from February to April 2023.

Supervision

• Reports to the program lead and Senior Analyst Nigeria

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• Be a reputable and well-experienced institution/individual (the "Consultant") with a 10 years’ experience in the industry.
• Experienced in conducting in-depth regional and country surveys, analysis, and reporting of the fertilizer consumption landscape in Nigeria.
• Experienced in collecting FGD’s , end-user (farmer) consumption patterns
• Experienced in the administration of agricultural field questionnaires
• Experienced in conducting surveys while providing qualitative and quantitative data and results on product flow (fertilizers) from source to farmer level
• Report writing and analysis skills
• Knowledge on donor procedures