Norwegian Church Aid Rapid Assessment of Kenya’s Coffee Sector and Develop Technical Policy Briefs of the Sector Consultancy Opportunity

Call for Expression of Interest (EOI) To Conduct Rapid Assessment of Kenya’s Coffee Sector and Develop Technical Policy Briefs of the Sector
 

Background and Introduction: Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is a development organization that has been operating in Kenya since 1984. 

The organization has 3 key areas of work, namely; Climate Justice (both Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation); Gender Justice (Women in Governance and Gender Based Violence); as well as Livelihood & Trade. 

The Livelihood & Trade programme under which Coffee intervention falls under has been in operation since the year 2006.

The ambition has been to mobilize small scale coffee farmers, building their capacity to understand coffee policy matters and advocate on the same, as well as improvement of coffee quality and quantity.

About the Programme: Coffee was for a long time Kenya’s most important agricultural export, accounting for as much as 40% of the total value of exports in some years [Mitchell, 2011]. This situation has changed dramatically since coffee production peaked in 1988. 

In recent years, coffee accounted for only about 6% of agricultural exports, while horticulture and tea exports have increased substantially, accounting for 34% and 32% percent of agricultural exports, respectively. Unfortunately, the smallholder coffee farmers are the ones that have suffered most after the fall of the coffee sector in the country.
 

As a result, in the year 2006, NCA Kenya Programme, in collaboration with its partner organization – Building East African Community Network (BEACON) under the Livelihood and Trade Programme started mobilizing small holder coffee farmers, building their capacity to understand the underlying policy issues facing the sector, and how to engage in policy advocacy. 

Out of this engagement, a national network of smallholder coffee farmers called the Kenya Small Coffee Growers Association (KESCOGA) was formed. 

Through this network, the programme has also built farmers’ capacity on coffee farming, in order to improve quality and quantity with the ultimate aim of linking them to a favourable market. 

Important to note, since the promulgation of the new constitution of Kenya (2010), the programme has been engaging with farmers and policy makers at the County level in order to inform policy formulation and implementation at that level. 

This has taken place in the Coffee Growing Counties and has attracted a lot of attention from the Counties’ highest policy organs. As such, the programme will seek to continue that engagement at the County level, while at the same time seeking how to best influence national level policies.
 

Purpose and Scope of the Rapid Assessment: In order to best achieve the above mentioned ambitions, the programme seeks to commission a rapid assessment of Kenya’s Coffee Sector, with the aim of unearthing the critical issues facing this sector. 

These will be captured in 4 technical briefing papers that will be submitted by different independent consultants. 

Whereas general issues will be important, this assessment will be keen to identify critical issues within both the Sector’s value chain as well as the policy making at both national and county level. 

In order to get different perspectives, NCA and its partners will seek to commission 4 independent experts who will conduct the assessment and provide perspectives from the following 4 sectors;

• Private Sector
• Research institutions
• Government Agency and
• Small-holders

The findings from the assessment, which will be submitted in the form of a technical briefing paper will be used to inform the small holder farmers’ engagement with policy makers from both national, as well as county government. 

Specifically, the finding captured in the paper will be used during a high-level coffee policy meeting slated to take place in March 2015, bringing together national level policy makers as well as governors and strategic County Executive Committee (CEC) from the targeted coffee growing counties.

Terms of Reference (TORs) for the Assignment
 

The following will be the specific Terms of Reference for this assignment (TORs);

• Map out the key issues and/or challenges facing Kenya’s coffee sector (including the entire value chain), particularly in light of the devolved structure under the new constitution of Kenya 2010.
• Outline opportunities & stakeholders involved in the coffee sector, both within the County, as well as the national government
• Identify challenges facing the small-holder coffee farmers’ engagement and involvement at all the levels, including at all the stages of the value chain
• Devise and propose possible strategies for strategic partnerships and collaborations to realize greater benefits for smallholder coffee growers
• Each expert to prepare the above and present it in the form of a technical briefing paper

NCA is seeking the services of 4 experts (qualified individuals) to conduct the rapid assessment.

The Expression of Interest (EOI) should indicate the following;

• A brief description of your understanding of the TORs
• The proposed methodology of carrying out the assessment
• The amount of time that it will take to prepare and submit the assessment report in the form of a technical briefing paper
• Cost of consultancy (fee) that will be paid to the consultant
• Qualifications of the consultant

Procedure for Application

Qualified individuals should submit their Expression of Interest (EOI) on or before Close of Business (COB) Tuesday 9th December 2014. 

The EOI should be submitted to Wasye Musyoni on w.musyoni@nca.no and copied to Benson Ireri on benson.ireri@nca.no