Request for Proposals to Conduct a Baseline Study of the AGRA Program for Africa’s Seed Systems (PASS) in South Sudan

Request for Proposals to Conduct a Baseline Study of the AGRA Program for Africa’s Seed Systems (PASS) in South Sudan

Organizational Overview: The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is an Africa based organization working in partnership with governments, agricultural research organizations, farmers, private sector, civil society and other rural development stakeholders to significantly and sustainably improve the productivity and incomes of resource poor farmers in Africa. 

AGRA’s programs in the areas of seeds, soil health, market viability, supportive policies and innovative finance work to bring about transformational change across the agricultural value chain. 

AGRA has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and an office in Accra, Ghana.
 

Proposals Invited: The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) through its Program for Africa’s Seed Systems (PASS) received funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) Southern Sudan to develop and implement a program that promotes improved and sustainable seed systems in South Sudan. 

This initiative seeks to:  

• develop capacity for research, seed production and certification through short and long term training of crop and seed technical specialists; 
• to support Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Cooperatives, and Rural Development (MAFCRD) crop improvement research, seed production and certification activities, and improve seed testing laboratory infrastructure;
• to develop the seed sector in the production and dissemination of high quality seed of the new, improved crop varieties;
• to organize, train and support farmer groups to produce seed as out-growers for seed companies and for local distribution; and to create awareness of the developed crop varieties among farmers and other stakeholders through awareness raising activities including on-farm demonstration plots.

AGRA has developed a set of key performance indicators for the EKN intervention in South Sudan against which progress will be assessed. AGRA is looking to procure a firm (‘the consultant’) to conduct a baseline study in South Sudan. 

The aim of the study is to provide a status analysis of the target indicators prior to EKN intervention, against which progress will be assessed. 

The baseline study will primarily focus on the developed set of outcome and output indicators. 

Most of these are quantitative while others relate to the more qualitative aims of SS4SS with respect to behavioral change, youth and gender related issues that should take into account factors such as differences in status, roles, constraints, opportunities, access to and control over resources of women and men, as farmers. 

The baseline study therefore will provide benchmark data against which achievements can be evaluated especially in respect to the set indicators while identifying the role of other players in the sector in South Sudan.

Procedure for application
 

Interested parties are requested to send their detailed technical & financial proposals to:
mande@agra.org by January 31st, 2014.

The complete Terms of Reference for the baseline study is available on the AGRA website www.agra.org and additional requests for background information by interested parties can be sent to the same e-mail address – mande@agra.org.