Re-Advert: Term of References to undertake a baseline study on enhancing Livelihood of vulnerable communities in Adado district, Galmudug region.

Term of References to undertake a baseline study on enhancing Livelihood of vulnerable communities in Adado district, Galmudug region.

1. Background of the organization: SOADO is a local Humanitarian and Development Organization registered with the Ministry of Interior and Federal Affairs of the Federal Government of Somalia. The primary objective of this organization is to enhance the livelihood conditions of Somali society through the promotion of sustainable agriculture, conservation of natural resources, and capacity building of rural communities via skill training for women and youth. SOADO operates within the food security, nutrition, and health sectors. The organization implements agro-ecological farming practices in south-central Somalia.

SOADO, in partnership with Protestant Agency for Diakonie and Development/ Bread for the World (EWDE), collaborates on the implementation of the project ‘Enhancing Livelihood of Vulnerable Communities,’ which aims to improve food security among vulnerable communities in Adado district, Galgadud region. The project addresses underlying issues such as food insecurity, crop diversification, and soil fertility amendments. Through support received from EWDE, SOADO is implementing a multi-year project with the objective of improving food production, enhancing household income, and alleviating hunger and food insecurity.

The project benefits approximately 1700 households (1000 vulnerable agro-pastoral, 500 urban, and 200 IDPs) in Adado district and its satellite villages. The district faces significant challenges due to recurrent droughts and the exacerbating impacts of climate change, poor farming practices, and degraded farmland ecosystems resulting from decades of marginalization by previous governments. Food insecurity in the Adado district manifests as temporary or seasonal shortages, leading to malnutrition and poor health outcomes. Women of reproductive age are particularly affected, facing increased mortality risks during pregnancy. The project mobilizes and sensitizes the community for participation in project activities to create a greater sense of ownership, responsibility, and empowerment. This ToR delineates the responsibilities of the consultant to design and conduct the baseline study for the aforementioned project and selected target areas in Adado district, Hiran region.

2. Project information: The project target areas encompass vulnerable agro-pastoral, urban, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the district and its satellite villages, where traditional farming practices have diminished the production capacity of farmers and agricultural lands. Communities in these target areas are unable to produce sufficient food to sustain their families until the subsequent rainy season. Recognizing the urgency of these factors, home gardens have been prioritized as a potential solution to address food insecurity and improve the nutritional status of vulnerable populations. Home gardens, typically small portions of land surrounding households, can significantly contribute to meeting daily food and nutritional requirements, restoring the environment, and increasing biodiversity. They are vital for on-farm conservation of resources and play a crucial role in food production for rural households.

The project aims to address the improvement of food production through the introduction of home gardening, root crops, and the integration of ecological farming practices to enhance household economics and reduce the cost of living. The project also seeks to ensure and improve the knowledge of vulnerable communities regarding agro-ecological farming practices and natural resource conservation. The project will conduct a series of training sessions on ecological home gardening practices, develop demonstration fields, organize communities into cluster groups to exchange knowledge, develop crop diversification programs, and promote the integration of animal manure into crop fields. Additionally, it will facilitate the distribution of fruit and nitrogen-fixing trees, introduce the cultivation of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP), and provide seasonal extension services to the target groups.

3. Objectives of the baseline study: the aim of this baseline study is to gather and analyses both qualitative and quantities data in the satellite villages of Adado district. This will strengthen the monitoring and tracking of the progress being made by the project and serve as benchmark for the comparison of the changes achieved at the end of the project. Baseline data will provide valuable information on current status of the target communities in term of farming practices and household income level that will address the project and expected to influence change of socio-economic of target households.

The baseline survey will be conducted with the collaboration of local authorities, potential beneficiaries and relevant stakeholders in the target district. It will be collected data that generate knowledge and information in the following areas:

– Agricultural performance in the target project areas

– Collection names of villages and their GPS

– Household demographic including education, income levels (farm and non-farm)

– Size of cultivated land by household

– Primary source of food and income

– Crop production and crop yields

– Cropping pattern and cropping intensity

– Use of irrigation system and owner of water boreholes

– Use of farm inputs (fertilizer, seeds and pesticides)

– Condition of soil fertility in farm

– Perceived cause of soil infertility

– Access to Extension services

– Cropping of root and fruit crops

– Cropping of vegetable

– Use of fodder production and preservation

– Farm size distribution of target households (rainfed or irrigated)

– Ownership of livestock

– Perceived climate trend

– Agro-ecological practices performed by households

– Forest and woodlot ownership

4. Scope of the work: the selected consultant will expected to carry out the baseline study covering following:

– Working with SOADO management team to identify sample frame and target communities where to be conducted baseline study.

– Conduct desk review and analysis of secondary data related to project overall objectives, expected outcomes and project achievements.

– Design structured questionnaires and methodologies to collect data from project target areas in line with the project objectives and agreed sample frame.

– Identify challenges, risks and opportunities that are likely to impact on the project implementation and propose recommendations to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of the project

5. Methodology: The consultant shall be responsible for proposing an appropriate methodology that will be deployed for conducting the baseline study. However, this methodology shall be participatory and ensure a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods in order to generate the required data. The consultant must also ensure that the rights of participants are always protected in line with our safe guarding policies, copies of which will be part of the contract of the successful consultant. SOADO shall work closely with the consultant and the consultant shall be required to provide regular feedback to Management team through the project coordinator and project manager to guarantee quality and adherence to TOR in the process of data collection and analysis.

7. Requirements and experiences of the consultant: the consultancy firm or individual must demonstrate the following requirement in their applicant in order to be considered for the Job.

• At least a master degree in rural development, agriculture or other related fields

• Demonstrate at least five years of experience in conducting research related to economic empowerment and socio-economic development

• Experience in community entry, mobilization and application social research methodology

• Demonstrate ability to write comprehensive report with in-depth analysis

• Ability to work in rural communities and challenging environment

8. Application process: all interested parties should submit a technical proposal demonstrating their understanding of the assignment; a financial proposal outlining the cost elements and Cvs of the core team members to carry out the assignment to SOADO via email: info@soado.org by COB 5PM on the 15th December 2024. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted