Download TERMS OF REFERENCE Project: Ecological Organic Agriculture

TERMS OF REFERENCE
Project: Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA-I)
CONSULTANCY FOR UNDERTAKING A STUDY ON FARMERS’
UNDERSTANDING OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND THEIR RESPONSE
STRATEGIES TO THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN THEIR FARM
LANDS
1.
Introduction
Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) is a not-for-profit organization established in Kenya in
2009 by the Biovision Foundation for Ecological Development in Switzerland, and
supported by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in
Nairobi. The Trust’s goal is to alleviate poverty and improve the livelihoods of
smallholder farmers in Kenya and other African countries through supporting the
dissemination of information and knowledge on appropriate technology to improve
human, animal, plant, and environmental health.
The Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative (EOA-I) is a continental initiative whose
mission is to promote ecologically sound strategies and practices among diverse
stakeholders in production, processing, marketing and policy making to safeguard the
environment, improve livelihoods, alleviate poverty and guarantee food security. The
overall goal of the initiative is to mainstream ecological organic agriculture into national
agricultural production systems by 2025 in order to improve agricultural productivity,
food security, access to markets and sustainable development in Africa.
Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) and two partners, PELUM Kenya and World Agroforestry
(formerly ICRAF), are collaborating in undertaking some activities under the EOA
initiative, and wish to undertake a study on local communities’ understanding of climate
change and their response strategies to the effects of climate change in their farm lands.
Climate change 1is a normal part of the Earth’s natural variability, which is related to
interactions among the atmosphere, ocean, and land, as well as changes in the amount
of solar radiation reaching the earth2. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
1
2
Climate change is a long-term shift in the statistics of the weather (including its averages).
NOAA National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/climate/Climatechange.pdf
(IPCC) scientists believe that there is a greater than 90 percent chance that most of the
warming we have experienced since the 1950s is due to the increase in greenhouse gas
emissions from human activities (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s
(IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (2007)).
3Africa
is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change. This situation is
further worsened by its poor state of economic development and low adaptive capacity.
Extreme poverty, frequent natural disasters such as droughts and floods, and heavy
dependence of agriculture on rainfall further increases the continent’s vulnerability.
4Land
resources contribute up to 50 percent of household food requirements and up to
40 percent of household incomes (AMCEN/UNEP, 2002), with 70 percent of the
continent's population depending on agriculture for their livelihood. Moreover,
agriculture is the most important sector in the economy of most African countries,
representing approximately 30 percent of Africa's GDP and contributing about 50
percent of the total export value. Agriculture is mostly subsistence in nature with a high
dependence on rainfall (over 95 percent) for irrigation. As a result, agriculture in Africa
is highly vulnerable to changes in climate variability, seasonal shifts, and precipitation
patterns (WRI 1996).
Climate-change impacts are expected to exacerbate poverty in most developing
countries and create new poverty pockets in countries with increasing inequality, in
both developed and developing countries. In urban and rural areas, wage-labordependent poor households that are net buyers of food are expected to be particularly
affected due to food price increases, including in regions with high food insecurity and
high inequality (particularly in Africa).
1.1 Climate Change and Agriculture in Africa
Agriculture is the most important sector in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and is set to be hit
the hardest by climate change. Indeed, this is confirmed by several studies. Although
climate change may affect the agricultural sectors of different countries in different
ways, what is clear is that these changes will bring about substantial welfare losses,
especially for smallholders whose main source of livelihood derives from agriculture.
3
Loss of Great Ape habitat 2002-2032 (Africa). (2003). In UNEP/GRID-Arendal Maps and Graphics Library.
Retrieved September 12, 2006.
4
Impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in Africa for the African Workshop on Adaptation
Implementation of Decision 1/CP.10 of the UNFCCC Convention Accra, Ghana, 21 - 23 September, 2006
1.2 General impacts of climate change on agriculture include (FAO, 1999):
ü
Reduction in soil fertility
ü
Decreased livestock productivity directly (through higher temperatures) and
indirectly (through changes in the availability of feed and fodder)
ü
Increased incidence of pest attacks, resulting from increase in temperature
ü
The manifestation of vector and vector born diseases
ü
Negative impacts on human health affecting human resource availability
Global average air temperatures are rising. According to the CSIRO and Bureau of
Meteorology in Australia, average air temperatures have increased by around 0.9
degrees Celsius since 1910, and each decade has been warmer than the previous decade
since the 1950s. Agriculture is at the centre of the whole climate change issue and so
because of the speed at which change is happening due to global temperature rise, it is
urgent that the vulnerability of farmers to climate change is reduced and their capacity
to adapt is increased. Future resilience depends not only on understanding climate
change and taking on appropriate mitigation strategies but also on the type of
development path that is pursued. Understanding the farmers’ knowledge on climate
change and their own response to mitigation will help different stakeholders to come up
with appropriate investments to help reduce their vulnerability and well as reduce
agriculture’s contribution to climate change.
2. Adaptation to Climate Change
5The
African continent contains the poorest and least developed nations of the world
with low per capita GDP and life expectancy and high infant mortality. Literacy is in the
bottom quartile globally; there is a high dependence on the natural resource base; weak
governance structures; and a low capacity within African governments to respond
proactively to changes. Armed conflict, imperfect terms of trade and aid dependence
further complicate matters. Africa has a predominantly tropical, hot and dry climate and
most of the population resides in the sub-humid and semi-arid zones (ILRI, 2006).
6Inter-Governmental
Panel of Climate Change, IPCC (2001) describes adaptation to
climate change as the adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or
expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial
opportunities. Common adaptation strategies in agriculture include use of new crop
varieties and livestock breeds that are better suited to current climatic conditions, other
strategies as irrigation, crop diversification, adoption of mixed crop and livestock
farming systems and changing planting dates. Climate change adaptation strategies are
characterized by adjustment in ecological, social or economic systems in response to
observed or expected changes in climatic stimuli and their effects and impacts in order
to alleviate adverse impacts of change or take advantage of new opportunities.
5
Impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in Africa for the African Workshop on Adaptation
Implementation of Decision 1/CP.10 of the UNFCCC Convention Accra, Ghana, 21 - 23 September, 2006
6 Evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and Their Effect on Food Production Among Smallholder
Farmers in Bungoma County, Kenya, George Idi Oloo, 2013
Adaptation can therefore involve building adaptive capacity, thereby increasing the
ability of individuals, groups, or organizations to adapt to changes and implementing
adaptations decisions, that is, transforming that capacity into actions. Hence
adaptations strategies are continuous stream of activities, actions, decisions and
attitudes that informs decisions about all aspects of life, and that reflect existing social
norms and processes. Anita et al. (2010) 7points out that some adaptations occur
without explicit recognition of changing risk, while other adaptations incorporate
specific climate information and decisions. Since unintentional adaptation has the
capacity to reduce the effectiveness of purposeful adaptation, the integration of
adaptation actions and policies across sectors remain a key challenge to achieve effective
adaptation in practice.
8Studies
indicate that Africa’s agriculture is negatively affected by climate change. The
World Bank (2008) also notes that Sub-Saharan Africa is currently the most foodinsecure region in the world. Climate change could aggravate the situation further
unless adequate measures are put in place. For smallholder farmers in Kenya,
environmental and social consequences of climate change especially put their
livelihoods at risk. 9In the recent past in Bungoma County, farmers have tried to use
indigenous knowledge to adapt to the climatic changes and the adaptation strategies
that are in place have not shown meaningful improvement and smallholder farmers
continue to get less and less yields each year.
3. Purpose of the assignment
Even though various studies have been done on farmers’ perceptions, understanding
and mitigation strategies to climate change and its effects, the extrinsic and intrinsic
response strategies have not well been documented in Kenya. The purpose of the
assignment is to undertake a study in Kenya to investigate how farmers understand the
phenomenon of climate change and its impact on their livelihoods. The study will also
seek to reveal farmers’ adaptation and response strategies to climate change in order to
inform future interventions. The study will divide the response strategies according to
extrinsic and intrinsic aspects.
4. Scope of work
The Consultant shall:
a) Formulate an appropriate objective for the study
b) Derive appropriate methodology for the study
c) Undertake the key task of collecting information, analysis, synthesis and compilation
of findings and recommendations.
7
Anita, W., Dominic, M. and Neil, A. (2010). Climate Change and Agriculture, Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation,
OECD Publication.
8
Pearce, D., Cline, W., Achanta, A., Fanhauser, S., Pachauri, R., Tol, R. and Vellinga, P. (1996). The social cost of
climate change: greenhouse damage and benefits of control. Philippines, 1985 – 1995, The Pacific Review.
9
Evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and Their Effect on Food Production Among Smallholder
Farmers in Bungoma County, Kenya, George Idi Oloo, 2013
5. Deliverables
The Consultant is expected to provide the following outputs of the assignment:
a)
Produce a synthesized report detailing farmers’ perception and understanding of
climate change and their intrinsic and extrinsic response strategies
6.
Knowledge, skills and experience required
The Consultant is required to have the following expertise:
ü At least a Masters’ degree in Agriculture/Environmental related courses or related
field especially in Climate change
ü At least 5 years’ experience in undertaking research work in the climate change
sector.
Interested consultants are expected to prepare a short proposal (3-4 pages) on the
following:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
7.
Profile – highlighting appropriate objectives and methodology for the study, past
experience in similar assignments, referees (with contact details)
Your understanding of the TOR (attached)
Proposed work plan for the assignment
Estimated budget (attach financial proposal) showing consultancy fee and break
down of expenses
Timelines and payments
The assignment is expected to be undertaken between 1st November and 2nd December
2016. The Consultant will be paid in 2 instalments as agreed upon by both parties.
8.
Management
The consultant will report to the EOA Coordinator or his designee.
9.
Submission
Please submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV), Expression of Interest (EOI) and proposals in
PDF
format
to
Venancia
Wambua
([email protected]
cc
th
[email protected]) by close of business Friday, October 14 , 2016. Indicate
consultancy services “consultancy for undertaking a study on farmers’
understanding of climate change and their response strategies to the
effects of climate change in their farm lands” in the subject line.