RFI 72066724RFI00001 - Sudan_FTF Activity .pdf

Issue Date: June 25, 2024 Closing Date and Time: Friday, August 9, 2024, at 5:00 PM (1700 hr), East Africa Time (EAT) Activity Title: USAID/Sudan’s Feed the Future Agriculture-led Growth Activity

Subject: Request for Information (RFI) No.72066724RFI00001

The United States Government, represented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Sudan is in the process of gathering information to support the anticipated activity design for USAID/Sudan’s Feed the Future Agriculture-led Growth Activity.

Through this Request for Information (RFI), USAID is seeking recommendations from interested non-governmental, public and private parties on the development of resilient agriculture-led growth and market systems given the current food security situation and conflict context in Sudan. While the situation is fluid due to the ongoing conflict, USAID aims to implement sustainable and adaptable solutions that can withstand the current challenges and contribute to long-term stability and food security in these regions.

This RFI is to solicit information for planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Application (RFA). Not responding to this request does not preclude participation in any future solicitations. This RFI does not represent any award commitment on the part of the US Government or obligate the US Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of any response. USAID reserves the right to modify the scope and scale of the RFI (following the pre-solicitation conference).

Please note that issuance of this RFI does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. Government, nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in the preparation of comments.

Responses to RFI: Please provide RFI responses by completing this response form per the details below, no later than Friday, August 9, 2024, at 5:00 PM (1700 hr), East Africa Time

(EAT).

Thank you for your assistance and interest in supporting USAID in Sudan.

Sincerely, Juana Morales Contracting/Agreement Officer USAID/Sudan

Attachments:

1) USAID/Sudan Feed the Future Background and Objectives

2) RFI Questions https://forms.gle/Lax6r2EPabsipbzv9

Request for Information on USAID/Sudan’s Feed the Future Agriculture-led Growth Activity

RFI #:72066724RFI00001

Attachment 1: USAID/Sudan Feed the Future Background and Objectives

BACKGROUND

Sudan has been engaged in large-scale conflict since April 2023, which has resulted in 17.7 million people in Sudan (37% of the population) facing high levels of acute food insecurity and emergency food insecurity levels,1 demolished critical infrastructure and created a vast food security crisis across the country. The war in Sudan has massively disrupted, but not eliminated, Sudan’s ability to produce food to feed itself. Agriculture was the key part of Sudan’s economy and was the predominant source of livelihoods for over two-thirds of the population. Prior to the war, agriculture accounted for 26 percent of GDP, 14 percent of export value, and about 80 percent of employment. Small-scale subsistence, rain-fed agriculture constituted more than 70 percent of the sector. Economic activity and poverty assessments project devastating impacts if the conflict continues, including a 48 percent decline in the GDP and significant losses in the agriculture and service sectors, pushing an additional 1.8 million people into poverty 2

Despite the current conflict, Sudan continues to have areas of opportunity for development assistance in the agricultural sector. Before the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) invasion of Gezira State in December 2023, the state was Sudan’s breadbasket, producing approximately 50 percent of Sudan’s wheat. RSF’s takeover and violence in Gezira severely deteriorated Sudan’s food security outlook and pushed productivity attention to other parts of the country. Eastern regions of Sudan have large rain-fed, semi-mechanized agriculture, and much of the private sector has relocated to the east. Efforts to strengthen the agri-food sector in this region for various value chains, and through market actors can support the broader agriculture and food systems of Sudan. It is important that programming continue to rebuild the agrifood system, support economic and livelihood recovery, and bolster resilience for impacted communities.

Agriculture transformation and development sits at the crux of how USAID aims to reduce global hunger, malnutrition, and poverty through Feed the Future. Through inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth, programs can strengthen resilience among individuals, households, communities, and systems. Poverty reduction, nutrition and resilience are higher level objectives of the Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) and are an essential part of any Feed the Future program solicitation. Inclusion of gender, youth and marginalized populations in programming as well as opportunities for locally-led and private sector-led development are important. Climate change is a USAID priority and should be a consideration in all aspects of programming within the agri-food system and the agriculture sector.

Sudan is a prime example of how resilience and agriculture-led growth activities in geographic areas where agricultural production is possible can complement humanitarian assistance, with the goal of reducing humanitarian needs. Programmatic experience has shown that wherever and whenever small-holder farmers can access land and inputs, even in a conflict situation, they will produce food. Increasing the availability of food on the local market and reducing the cost of food can enable access by a broader subset of the population, allowing humanitarian

1 IPC Alert: Sudan, March 2024:

https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Alert_Sudan_March2024.pdf 2 IFPRI - Navigating Sudan’s conflict: research insights and policy implications:

https://www.ifpri.org/publication/navigating-sudans-conflict-research-insights-and-policy-implications-proceedings-0/ https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Alert_Sudan_March2024.pdf https://www.ifpri.org/publication/navigating-sudans-conflict-research-insights-and-policy-implications-proceedings-0 assistance programs to focus on the most vulnerable populations who have limited access. The need to respond to shocks and stresses in development programming is not new, and USAID has employed crisis modifiers, and they have been an essential way of enabling humanitarian response through development programs3. The Mission will also use a sequencing, layering, and integrating approach to improve the ability of households, communities, and systems to manage and withstand shocks and stressors.

USAID is currently programming five Feed the Future (FtF) activities in Sudan, in nine out of eighteen states, primarily focused on the eastern states. USAID partners are engaged in supporting provision of agricultural inputs including seeds and fertilizer through market actors, access to finance for small-holder farmers, post-harvest handling and processing to ensure harvests make it to market, working with local communities on natural resource management and support of the livestock sector through vaccinations and livestock infrastructure.

Opportunities for agricultural support should be demand driven and market based whenever possible. Sudan is a non-homogenous country with varied geographies that offer different opportunities to implement development work as it comes to security contexts, value chains, local actors, and community receptibility. As such, USAID programming must approach each context in a unique and tailored way. Given the need for a deep understanding of the operating environment, geography, and ever-changing landscape due to conflict, it does not seem possible for new partners to come into Sudan given the conflict dynamics. It is important that partners working in Sudan have existing networks, Sudanese teams, and local footprints to effectuate sustainable implementation.

Supporting agriculture-led growth in this conflict context is crucial, as not doing so would further weaken fragile markets and food systems, lead to the erosion of infrastructure, and potentially accelerate key actors leaving the sector. It is critical to bolster communities by supporting innovative delivery and extension support to reach the last mile and enhancing access for smallholder farmers to quality inputs and information. Challenges in the agriculture sector and opportunities for transformative agriculture-led economic growth are vast within Sudan and USAID/Sudan will be focused and selective in prioritizing its interventions. With that, USAID is open to diverse locations, value chains, and opportunities where partners have different advantages.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVES

This is the initial request for information as part of the FtF Agriculture-led Growth Activity award design process. USAID/Sudan is reaching out for input to identify high priority, high impact interventions appropriate for the stable areas in Sudan and which align with the GFSS primary objectives of inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth; strengthened resilience among people, communities, countries, and systems; and a well-nourished population, especially among women and children. Higher level objectives of the activity include the following:

1. Enhance the resilience and livelihoods of households, communities, and systems.

3 Resilience Links: Shock Responsive Program Mechanisms:

https://www.resiliencelinks.org/resources/tools-guidance/shock-responsive-programming-and-adaptive-mechanisms https://www.resiliencelinks.org/resources/tools-guidance/shock-responsive-programming-and-adaptive-mechanisms

2. Increase food security through sustainable agricultural production.

3. Strengthen agriculture value chains, market linkages and agribusiness.

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Attachment 2: RFI Questions

USAID’s Feed the Future mandate is funded by agriculture resources and is required to reduce poverty and malnutrition while building the resilience of households, communities, and systems to better manage shocks such as market price, drought, and conflict.

Response: Please respond to the RFI no later than Friday, August 9, 2024, at 5:00 PM (1700 hr), East Africa Time (EAT). Please include your name, position, email address and name of organization.

USAID appreciates brief and concise responses that will help inform activity planning and asks that responses, which may include hyperlinks, to be submitted through this response form, no more than 5500 characters (approximately 750 words) per question.

1. Understanding that Sudan has a diverse landscape, which geographies do you feel are important to enhancing food security outcomes in Sudan?

2. What shock-responsive tools, and assistance mechanisms do you think have been most successful in conflict-sensitive programming? Please share examples.

3. Which value chains (including livestock) in Sudan could be strategically fortified with activities based on assessed needs, gaps or weaknesses? How could USAID strengthen these value chains?

4. Are you aware of any current donor/NGO coordination that supports food security outcomes in Sudan? If so, can you please provide examples of who and how this is occurring? If not, do you have suggestions on how this could occur?

5. What are possible innovative and resilient solutions in small-scale irrigation, including solar pumps, solar panels, cold storage, and telecommunications, that could be used in Sudan to support climate-smart agriculture?

6. Beyond the obvious conflict related risks, what are the other risks associated with working within the agriculture and agri-food sector that USAID/Sudan should consider as part of a new agriculture program?

7. Are there any other suggestions you wish to offer to improve the design of this activity? This could include opportunities and potential pitfalls; past successes and failures in agriculture-led growth and agri-processing interventions; opportunities to leverage existing efforts, resources, and trends; gaps to address; social impact analysis;

hazards to avoid; necessary conditions for success; political economy analysis of specific sectors; and individual or institutional perspectives on programs, policies, research, data, activities, and/or development approaches, etc.

[End of Attachment 2 - RFI Questions]

[End of the RFI No.72066724RFI00001] https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOLjNn3ysoZTaa6N62aIc3dief8hmCaNfiJmSNuEZDm_bl2A/viewform