Farmers Field School Facilitators/Trainers at Mercy Corps

Project/Consultancy Title:

Project Location(s):

Rural Resilience Activity Farms Field School Facilitators/Trainers

Borno: Biu, Hawul, Kwaya-kusar,

Adamawa: Gombi, Hong, Mubi North, Mubi South, Song, Y Yola North, Yola South. Gombe: Akko, Billiri, Dukku, Funakaye, Gombe, Kwami

Yobe:Damaturu, Potiskum, Nguru, Jakusko, Nangere
                                                                                                                      
Background:

Narrative (2-5 sentences +)

Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity (RRA) is a 5-year USAID funded program being implemented by a consortium led by Mercy Corps with support from IFDC and Save the Children across the states of Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe states in North-East Nigeria. Rural Resilience Activity will facilitate economic recovery and growth in vulnerable, conflict-affected areas by promoting systemic change in market systems. This will ensure long-term improvements to markets that will sustainably move over 90,000 households out of chronic poverty.

Purpose / Project Description:

Narrative (2-5 sentences +)

The Activity intends to deploy the Farmers Field School approach to facilitate empowerment and inclusion for women and youth to access enterprise opportunities and become facilitators of the farmers field school, village promoters, private service providers, public and private extension workers. This is to introduce Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Natural Resource Management through extension services and community based natural resource management for increase in crop efficiency, nutrition, healthy environment and income generation to promote resilient livelihoods among the marginalized groups (Women and Youth). The validated agricultural value chains of the activity are Small ruminants, cowpea, groundnut, maize, rice and micro-enterprises.

Consultant Objectives:

Optional – narrative or bulleted

The main objective is to facilitate the emergence of women with capacity to promote good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Natural Resource Management through extension services and community based natural resource management as well as mentorship ability through safe space operations.

Build up capacities of women to open up opportunities to improving their livelihoods by driving the agri-business efficiency and healthy environment to promote resilient livelihoods among the marginalized groups (Women and Youth) 

Improve access to risk-informed advisory services, such as technical and business development training and advisory services for female farmers

Link women to lead firms, EIF partners and market actors to develop their capacity to become agents/BDSPs to provide tailor-made business planning, financial management, and technical information advisory services that can support market actors and enterprises to adapt and enhance their businesses for operating in the face of COVID-19 and other shocks and stresses such as security restrictions, flood, droughts, inflation, and low purchasing power.

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will:

What will they do – bulleted list preferred

The activity seeks the services of Facilitators for the Farmers Field School initiative on the activity. These experts will work with the Master Trainer to facilitate training and mentoring sessions to address the problem of lack of access to information and extension services by promoting improved agricultural production practices and transfer of acquired knowledge in agronomical and Natural Resource Management practices. These range from as land preparation, seed selection, planting, weeding, pest control and use of agrochemicals, post-harvest handling, fuel efficiency cooking practices, deforestation and afforestation, etcetera  by bringing together farmers to learn as a group from the FFS gardens and school.  The approach is an interactive and participatory ‘learning by doing’ approach involving 20-25 farmers, pastoralists or poultry-folks and a trained facilitator.

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will:

• What will they accomplish/deliver – bulleted list preferred
• Act on all feedback from the planning meetings; Technical preparations for the TOT
• Review and adapt the FFS training manual and provide advice/guidance for translation into the local language- Hausa.   
• Conduct the TOT for identified participants in the targeted states. The total number of training days is (5) for TOT
• Provide guidance and support participants to recruit farmer groups/establish FFS in target communities – this may involve setting targets and key deliverables for participants, the development of enrollment tools, session tracking tools and any other feedback mechanisms to support the functionality of the FFS
• Mentoring sessions – this will be mostly facilitated by the FAO trained facilitators as it involves providing hands on support, experience sharing and field level support
• Refresher training – this involves second level training tailoring the basic FFS skills acquired to facilitate improved agronomical practices in line with value chains for the activity. This can be state specific and based on thriving value chains in the states as advised by the Master Trainers and Facilitators
• The TOT/mentoring and refresher sessions would cover (and not be limited to) Farmers Field School (FSS) Curriculum factoring in the following topics:

Key elements of FFS.

• Extension and advisory services: The selected female facilitators will be trained on topics which includes best practices in land preparation, seeds selection, planting, weeding, Pest control, safer use of agro-chemicals, harvesting, storage and marketing.
• Key topics under the validated sectors for the activity which are Small ruminants, cowpea, groundnut, maize, rice, micro entreprises. For example under small ruminants, Topics to be treated include animal fattening, animal disease control, feed selection, feed production, marketing.
• Natural resource management: Topics to be treated includes, fuel efficiency cooking practices, deforestation and afforestation, safer use of agro-chemicals, bush burning, waste disposal, best fishing practices, etc
• Establishing a farmer field school Programme.
• Developing human capacity for farmer field school.
• Defining the farmer field school learning content.
• Monitoring, evaluation and continuous learning.

Impact assessment.

• Budgeting for farmer field school implementation.
• Building on the basic farmer field school learning cycle.
• Employing indigenous knowledge of farmers for agricultural development.
• Gender consideration in agricultural development.
• Policy issues and implications for agricultural development. 

Group dynamics

• Information sharing and access to technology
• Units measurement
• Farm Management
• Decision for more Income
• Diversifying your farm enterprise

Money Management

• How to get Financial services
• Investing in good quality seed
• Farmer organization benefits
• Managing pest and disease
• Becoming an enterprise
• Support Master trainer to review soft copy of adapted FFS manual in recommended language(s) and make ready for printing
• Support development and adaptation session tracking tools for participants, to be shared prior to TOT.
• Support Master trainer to conduct pre, post-test for the training, and incorporate results in the reports.
• Support 5 days training using the adapted FFS Manual in designated state.
• Training Reports soft copy, harmonized for the states with pictures and other MOVs
• Reports of mentoring sessions/refresher trainings.

Mercy Corps, Responsibilities

• Mercy Corps and its consortium partners will work with state ADPs to provide training venue, refreshment and make training materials available.
• Mercy Corps will provide accommodation for the duration of the training period to the Master trainers.
• Mercy Corps will reimburse the Master Trainer/FAO Facilitators’ costs incurred on transportation to and fro to training/field location (according to MC travel Policies)

Timeframe / Schedule: 

• Due dates for deliverables and activities – no tables or charts because they don’t load into Jobvite
• Support Master Trainer to review soft copy of adapted FFS manual in recommended language(s) and make ready for printing. (Curriculum review) – 10th – 17th June, 2021
• Support development and adaptation session tracking tools for participants, to be shared prior to TOT. – 15th June, 2021.
• Support Master Trainer to conduct pre, post-test for the training, and incorporate results in the reports. – 28th June – 10th July, 2021.
• Support 5 days training using the adapted FFS Manual in designated state - 10th – 17th June, 2021.
• Training Reports soft copy, harmonized for the states with pictures and other MOVs – 1 week after each activity.
• Reports of mentoring sessions/refresher trainings- 1 week after each activity.

The Consultant will report to:

• Provide team member name and job title (must be MC staff – national, expat or US based)
• The Facilitators will report to the Master trainer, focal points in the consortium including technical leads on the Activity.
• The Consultant will work closely with:
• Optional – E.g. TSU, Program Desk Officers, XXXX Program Manager
• The Facilitator will work closely with focal points at the state offices, through the Gender Advisor for all logistics arrangements.

Required Experience & Skills:

Mercy Corps standard is 5-10 years of relevant experience for consultants

Evaluation Criteria

Score

Tax Identification number and/or Tax certification

10%

Experience in similar contracts evidenced by certificates, pictures, reports, and any other Farmers Field School (FFS) materials.

10%

CV and Cover Letter detailing facilitation skills for FFS and any outstanding case studies and success stories.

80%

Total

100%

• OND, HND, NCE or BA in Agricultural science or equivalent in relevant field
• Work experience as FFS Master Trainer of FFS facilitator
• Good mobilisation and facilitation skills.
• At least 1 year previous experience conducting similar training.
• Good Communication skills.
• Fluency in English and Hausa is required