Revised_SOW.docx

Statement of Work

Gender and Social Inclusion, Cross-Cutting Support to NIGER Compact on Gender, Livestock, and Milk Value Chains

A. Introduction The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a U.S. Government corporation whose mission is to provide assistance that will support economic growth and poverty reduction in carefully selected developing countries that demonstrate a commitment to just and democratic governance, economic freedom, and investments in their citizenry. For more information on the MCC please visit www.mcc.gov. Key MCC operating principles relating to the award of grants include emphasis on economic impact, country-led solutions and implementation, and focus on results. Eligible countries are invited to develop and submit grant proposals to MCC for consideration. MCC will seek to enter into a Compact for assistance through large-scale, five-year grants for agriculture and irrigation; energy; transportation (roads, bridges, ports); water supply and sanitation; access to health; finance and enterprise development; anticorruption initiatives; land rights and access; access to education, etc.

MCC recognizes that gender inequality can be a significant constraint to economic growth and poverty reduction. MCC’s Gender Policy and operational guidance ensure that gender will be considered in the selection of eligible countries and integrated into the development and design of Compact programs, the assessment and implementation of projects funded by the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), the monitoring of program results, and the evaluation of program impacts. MCC’s Gender Milestones and Operational Procedures strengthen and concretize the requirements of the Gender Policy and contribute to the MCC’s and the Country Core Team’s ability to ensure gender integration in projects that may be funded.

Consultants will work with the Gender and Social Inclusion (GSI) team under the supervision of the Senior Director for Gender and Social Inclusion and other GSI staff as assigned. As members of MCC country teams in the Department of Compact Operations, GSI staff are responsible for working with partner countries on the development of Compact projects and their oversight during implementation.

Niger was approved for Compact in December 2013. The 2014 Constraints Analysis (CA) identified binding constraints to economic growth and investment in Niger as: (i) access to water for agricultural productive uses; (ii) time-consuming and complex cross-border trade; and (iii) a business environment dominated by the informal sector. The CA reveals that an effective compact investment response should incorporate investments in sustainable water supply, efficient agricultural production, empowering entrepreneurs and small business groups, and strengthening market access.

In Niger, agriculture (crop and livestock) is a sector that provides employment for over 80 percent of the population and represents the second largest export sector in the country. The primary objective of the Niger Compact is to address the main binding constraint of access to water for agricultural productivity, while also addressing select barriers to trade and market access for agricultural products. A focus on both large- and small-scale irrigation and community-based, climate-resilient agriculture across the country will address the issue of access to water while promoting sustainable increases in agricultural productivity and sales. The following framework outlines the planned Compact investments in Niger:

Project Descriptions:

Large-Scale Irrigated Agriculture and Market Infrastructure Project: This project aims to augment rural incomes through the increase in, and sale of, agricultural production resulting from modernized irrigated agriculture systems, improved productivity, and sufficient market access.

Irrigation Perimeter Development Activity: The objective of this activity is to increase crop production and yields, sustainable fishing, and livestock productivity. Through an iterative process of technical assessment and economic analysis, the large-scale irrigation options have been narrowed from perimeters representing some 12,000 hectares (ha) to the rehabilitation of approximately 2,450 ha of existing large-scale irrigation infrastructure and construction of approximately 2,600 ha of new perimeters. This represents an improvement of 19 percent of existing irrigation infrastructure in the country, and a 20 percent increase in total hectares under irrigation systems.

Management Services, Market Facilitation and Policy Activity: The objective of this activity is to increase the productive assets for beneficiaries of the Irrigation Perimeter Development Activity through improved water management, land tenure and provision of assistance to enhance farmers’ ability to save, invest in yield-increasing practices, effectively manage natural resources, competitively participate in key value chains, and improve household dietary diversity and productive human capital. The CT has revised this activity to be focused at the perimeter level and on behavioral change areas representing key revenue assumptions of the ERR. The resulting budget for this activity was developed using best practices created for Feed the Future, and was validated through the due diligence process.

Road Infrastructure for Market Access Activity: The objective of this activity is to improve physical market access by targeting road network improvements serving the Dosso-Gaya perimeters and linking them to important consumer markets throughout the country and regional trade hubs. This activity will support gravel upgrading (rather than paved) of 187 kilometers (km) of the market road (RN35) directly serving the Dosso-Gaya perimeters, complete the paved rehabilitation of the RN7, which is a main road linking the southern region to the rest of the country (83 km), and rehabilitate the Sambera access road (37 km) linking RN35 to RN7.

Policy Reform Activity. The objective of this activity is to assist the Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation and other relevant government entities to develop and build capacity to implement a new Master Plan to manage national water resources, including Ramsar protected wetlands. The Ministry of Agriculture will also be assisted with reform of the fertilizer distribution system to allow greater competition and private sector participation to enable broad availability and affordability of fertilizers, especially to small farmers. There is a small budget allocated to this activity to support the GoN with reforms directly linked to the success and sustainability of the proposed compact investments.

Community-Based Livestock and Climate-Resilient Agriculture Project (Community-Based Agriculture Project): The proposed project aims to increase incomes for small-scale agriculture- and livestock- dependent families in eligible municipalities (communes) in rural Niger by improving crop and livestock productivity, sustaining natural resources critical to long-term productivity, and increasing market sales of targeted commodities.

Regional Sahel Pastoralism Support Activity (PRAPS): The objective of this activity is to improve livestock value and sales by conducting a livestock health and vaccination campaign; identifying and undertaking critical upgrades in major transhumance livestock corridors, including water points and pasture improvements; and modernizing local market infrastructure and organization. MCC funds will now be focused on investments in three regions: Tillaberi, Dosso and Tahoua.

Climate-Resilient Agriculture Activity (CRA): This activity will increase the use of agricultural practices that minimize climate risks, improve the utilization rate of fertilizer and improved/drought-tolerant seeds, increase access to small-scale irrigation, promote land reclamation, protect watersheds from erosion, and establish market platforms to competitively position farmer groups in the marketplace. MCC funds will focus on climate-resilient investment needs, especially small-scale irrigation, in 16 communes in four regions: Tillaberi, Dosso, Tahoua and Maradi. Current conservative estimates for potential small-scale irrigation investments in MCC-funded communes amount to approximately 2,600 ha.

Summary of Social and Gender Context:

Niger is confronted with many development challenges. It is ranked amongst one of the poorest countries in the world and 187 of 187 in the 2013 Human Development Index. While Niger has made some progress in some human development outcomes such as reducing child mortality by two-thirds, overall economic growth over the past 20 years has been highly variable, and outcomes have not led to broad-based poverty reduction. 41 percent of the population live on less than $1.25 per day.

Underlying the issues regarding access to inputs, discussed below, is the overall lack of empowerment experienced by women and youth in Niger. Young people’s experience is often the pressure to “wait for their turn,” making their position as subordinate theoretically short-term. Women’s experience of being disempowered is more pervasive, as noted in the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) which measures five domains of empowerment (5DE). The WEAI demonstrated that men are more adequate when it comes to input in productive decision, asset ownership, input in asset decisions, access to and decisions about credit, control over use of income, speaking in public, and workload. The WEAI concluded that men are more empowered than women in all five domains: agricultural production, resources, income, leadership, and time. When it comes to empowerment, the WEAI determined that 81.8 percent of women in the sampled region do not have gender parity, meaning they are not as equally empowered as the men in their household. Thus, 18.2 percent of women are equally empowered.

Despite women’s limited ownership of land, they actively participate in agriculture along the various stages of the value chain. Gendered assessments on various value chains have been conducted by individual consultants and FINTRAC. Results from various field visits reveal that there are some clear gender divisions of labor in the agriculture sector which vary by region. In Dosso-Gaya for example, both men and women participate in the primary production of rice in the cuvette (flooded rice). In the dune areas, men produce rice and cereals, while women produce vegetables, okra, peanuts, sesame and cowpeas. Men are the main aggregators while women are primary processors, even of crops they do not produce themselves. Onion, which is primarily grown in Dosso-Gaya is almost exclusively controlled by men throughout the entire value chain. Women produce bags for storage of onions (chapeaux), which is an important income generating activity, and have targeted limited participation in the processing through drying. In fishing communities both in Konni and Dosso-Gaya, men are the primary fishers, while women engage in the production of fishing nets and processing (drying, frying and smoking). Both men and women participate in the commercialization process.

In households that engage in pastoral pursuits, a gendered division of labor regulates what men and women can and cannot do. Women play a significant role in the family herding activities. They tend to raise small ruminants such as goats and sheep, while men tend to raise cattle. Those who own cattle let their husbands care for the animals, as cattle raising is considered inappropriate for women. Young women in particular are barred from taking animals to pasture as their safety may be compromised. Moreover, because of cultural/traditional practices, women are not involved in the sale of live animals.

Animals owned by women are taken to market by a male member of the family for sale. This is problematic for several reasons. To understand the need for good animal husbandry practices, it is important to understand the impact those practices can have on the evaluation of animals at time of sale. Without being able to witness this evaluation process, herders are precluded from a close understanding of how different attributes are calculated into the agreed price for any given animal. More importantly, excluding women from the sales process means women have very little control over the price or the revenue generated from the animal.

It should be noted, women play a dominant role in the milk value chain. In the milk value chain, women’s responsibilities include milking the animals, preparation of curdled milk and distribution of milk products, organization of communal collection, and management of large dairy operations in urban centers. According to the FINTRAC report, the greatest opportunity for women is in the milk value chain. Currently, much of the liquid milk that is collected is then discarded, because it exceeds home consumption needs and lacks basic transport, containers, and refrigeration needed for its commercialization. As a result, most of the liquid milk that is sold in villages and towns is in the form of lait caillé (curds and whey). The large and medium-sized dairies in urban areas use little, if any, liquid milk sourced from local herds. They rely instead on powdered milk, which they import from Europe and reconstitute locally to manufacture yogurt and liquid milk sachets. Dairies are interested in increasing their sales of liquid milk, and recognize that local liquid milk provides a much more marketable product than milk reconstituted from powder. If the problem of insufficient and erratic supplies could be overcome, dairies would be prepared to utilize significant volumes of locally sourced liquid milk for their operations creating tremendous opportunities for women as producers and suppliers of milk.

B. Scope and Objectives

The GSI practice group seeks to contract a consultant for Niger to conduct a gender and milk value chain analysis. Additional countries may be added in the future, pending need and expertise.

The consultant(s) are expected to design the market research, carry out secondary and primary research, tabulate and analyze data and provide MCC with a comprehensive report as outlined in the deliverables section below. The consultant should asses the position of women in the milk value chain.

C. Tasks and Deliverables

In accordance with the Tasks and Level of Effort table below, the Consultant shall complete the following tasks:

Task A. Quantify the Market Demand – the consumption side

a) Determine the market size for milk and milk products in terms of volume and prices

b) Determine the current market demand for milk and project the future demand

c) Identify the characteristics of this market

d) Identify the different milk consumers’ expectations in terms of quality, quantities, timing and pricing of the product

e) Identify the different milk market segments in Konni and Dosso-Gaya and the different actors (sex, age, socio-economic status) (Niger)

f) Outline the specific requirements of each market segment

g) Identify the projected trends over the next five to ten years for the dairy industry in Konni and Dosso-Gaya (Niger)

h) Identify the new opportunities for developing the milk market

i) Identify the value addition opportunities exist

j) Identify areas and levels of investment would they need (estimates only needed).

k) Consumer preferences of milk and milk products

l) Identify the needs for technical skills, capacity (knowledge, know-how, behavior, etc.) for women.

Task B. Quantify the Milk Supply – the pastoralist production areas

a) Quantify the current supply of milk/milk products in terms of volumes, prices, and quality, per day, week, or month (mapped throughout the year)

b) Identify the current suppliers and where they are located geographically (men, women, women’s group, mixed groups, cooperatives, GIE)

c) Quantify the costs involved in the milk supply chain

d) Make milk supply projections for the identified markets

Task C. Identify other milk chain actors – processing, packaging & transportation

a) Identify the transportation system (and the different actors involved) and analyze it from producer to market

b) Identify the main dairies and commercial milk retailers in the regions of intervention

c) Analyze the quality and certification requirements necessary for the dairies

d) Analyze the milk packaging materials and systems used and highlight the strengths or weaknesses of the current systems and who is involved in the packaging.

e) Analyze the processing systems and methods used currently and make recommendations on ways of improvement. Determine who is involved and the level of implication.

f) Analyze the dairies’ current costs to import powdered milk; specifically what requirements (e.g. volume, quality, and price) dairies would have in order to source liquid milk locally.

Task D. Assess the Gender issues in the milk chain

a) Identify the current actors in the chain and new entrants into the milk market

b) Identify the possibilities of diversification of products, including the needs and the actors.

c) Assess the possibilities of exporting milk and milk products

d) Assess the possibility for men entering the dairy market and the consequences on women of such a move

Task E. Analyze the regulatory framework – quality control systems & standards

a) Analyze the milk regulatory framework by the government

b) Milk quality and hygiene regulations by government

c) Traceability of milk from producer to consumer

d) Visit production facilities along the value chain to observe compliance with quality control systems and standards (when possible)

Task F. Asses the level of the Business Support Services (BDS)

a) Assess the level of business support services required along the milk chain – micro‐finance, savings, capacity building in business and financial management, capacity building in marketing

b) Assess the current business support services

c) Identify the gaps in business support systems and make recommendations for improvement

Task G. Analyze the profitability of the milk businesses throughout the chain, with consideration for women, men, youth, traditional, and/or modern factory

a) At producer level

b) At transporter level

c) At trader level

i. At village level

ii. At urban center level

d) At final consumer interface

e) Contribution to livelihoods

Task H. Stakeholder analysis

a) Identify and analyze (activity, targeted actors, the goal aimed at, improvements, etc.) the interventions in the milk chain and produce a stakeholder map

i. INGOs

ii. Government actors

iii. Private sector actors

iv. Local NGOs

Deliverables by the consultant

a) A demand and supply analysis and map

b) Processing and transportation facilities analysis

c) Quality control and hygiene standards gap analysis

d) A business profitability analysis

e) A business support analysis

f) A stakeholder analysis and map

g) Clear and strategic recommendations for each of the above analyses

Gender responsive data collection and analysis will underpin each of the above mentioned work and deliverable.

Final product desired Package this into a 20 ‐ 25 page strategic document which is concise and focused and with a clear milk market chain map. The document must have evidence which is backed up by facts and figures and a convincing argument for change and intervention with clear areas of intervention identified and justified. Client wants a concrete paper that can help inform Compact design.

D. Evaluation Criteria

· Master’s degree or equivalent in Agriculture, Economics, Social Science or an MBA.

· Demonstrated experience in gender and value chain analysis, including social inequalities, risks and opportunities in production, post-harvest handling, processing and marketing of agriculture products (staple and cash crops)

· Demonstrated experience in gender, agriculture and value chain program design

· Experience and knowledge of milk production, processing and marketing is desired

· Fluency in French is desired

· Experience in Niger and/or West Africa is desired

E. Place and Period of Performance

The base period is 6 months

The estimated level of effort is 817 hours. MCC anticipates this level of effort but does not guarantee it, as it may decrease depending on eligible countries and proposed projects

Deliverables and Estimated LOE are presented in the table below. All TDY LOE estimates include in-country work, travel and report writing.

(Business Days)

All work on this task order shall be performed at the following locations:

1. Contractor’s Home Office

1. Niger – Niamey, Konni and Dosso-Gaya regions

International travel will be required. The Contractor may be requested to mobilize on a short notice and will be expected to deliver high quality finished products in a timely manner.

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