Consultancy: Group Dynamics Training Consultant under Umodzi

1. CASA PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

CASA is an FCDO – International Climate Finance (ICF) funded programme driving global investment for inclusive climate-resilient agri-food systems that increase smallholder incomes. CASA makes the case to impact and return-oriented investors for increased investment in agribusinesses that work with smallholder supply chains. The programme achieves this goal by:

• Demonstrating the commercial viability and investment-readiness of small and medium-sized (SME) agribusinesses with significant smallholder supply chains;
• Helping investors to increase the impact of their investments through the provision of inclusive technical assistance;
• Strengthening the socio-legal empowerment of smallholders within value chains; and
• Tackling the information and evidence gaps holding back investment

For demonstrating the commercial and development potential of smallholder sourcing models, CASA focuses on catalytic interventions in the agriculture sectors of Ethiopia, Malawi, Nepal and Rwanda that support agri-SMEs prepare for and secure investment while connecting smallholders to commercial markets.

CASA’s work on research and communications is structured around identifying constraints, opportunities and addressing evidence gaps through research; shaping the debate on smallholder agriculture to influence actions of investors, governments and donors; and creating networking opportunities through events and stakeholder engagement.

2. ASSIGNMENT BACKGROUND

2.1 Partnership with Umodzi

CASA has partnered with Umodzi Poultry, an SME based around Santhe area in Kasungu district, towards implementation of a project called “Utilizing renewable energy, facilitating increased quail productivity and incomes among smallholders”. Through this project, CASA seeks to facilitate the promotion of economic engagement of rural women and youth by linking them to a quail supply chain through an outgrower scheme between Umodzi and the farmers. The project design seeks to leverage Umodzi’s existing investments in solar powered incubators, brooders, and quail housing facilities to further deepen and broaden the commercial benefits of a newly established inclusive quail farming out-grower scheme involving smallholder women farmers. With an increased production capacity, the company will be able to effectively anchor more smallholder women farmers around its out-grower scheme, and easily provide them with the required start-up inputs and production skills which will improve their productivity and profitability leading to increased household incomes for the involved farmers.   Towards this end, the project will support the Umodzi engage an additional 1,000 smallholders into a quail outgrower scheme with itself as an offtaker with the aim of increasing the company’s profitability and incomes for the smallholders.

To successfully deliver this tasks, CASA Malawi now intends to engage the services of a short-term group dynamics training expert to support Umodzi establish management structures among 1,000 smallholders by establishing leadership structures of the groups formed through focussed topics on leadership, group dynamics and support the newly formed poultry producer groups to develop group constitutions which clearly stipulate the rules of engagement, roles and responsibilities of group leaders and members, and clearly define the grievance redress mechanisms amongst members. This is aimed at building cohesiveness among the outgrowers and improve their collective productivity in poultry as a business.

2.2 Partner Brief Background

Umodzi Poultry is a social enterprise based in Santhe, Kasungu District in central Malawi. The business was born out of the desire and belief in the power of providing the poor with economic opportunities through supporting them to be more productive so that they are self-reliant and that they are able to provide for their own needs and the needs of their community. Umodzi Poultry started the quail business in 2018 and was incorporated as a private company limited by shares on 16^th April 2022. As a commercial entity, Umodzi Poultry focuses on quail production in collaboration with Mthetsankhuli Women Cooperative within the company’s premises. The vision of the company is to become a leading supplier of quails in Malawi. Meanwhile, the company has identified an initial demand for 22,000 birds per year within the vicinity of its locality and among a few outlets in Lilongwe city which is currently not being met. Umodzi’s growth strategy to meet this initial demand is to empower local women clubs in its catchment area to serve as its product supply source. To this end, the company is targeting to engage 1,000 smallholder women farmers to participate as the first lot of quail farming out-growers.

Umodzi Poultry has already invested into acquisition and installation of start-up capital equipment items required to operate this business at a commercial scale to the tune of US$ 80,000. These productive facilities include solar panels and batteries, incubators, brooders, and a bio-digester. In terms of solar energy, Umodzi Poultry has invested in a 25 Kw solar system which is generates more than the required amount of energy to run incubators and provide lighting, while the biogas biodigester provides heating for brooding. The installed solar system capacity can support 5,000 birds per week, with excess power available for other uses. Umodzi Poultry has also invested in four incubators, with a combined capacity of handling 20,000 eggs per cycle and an existing coop with the capacity of holding 3,000 quails per cycle.

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The main objective of this assignment is to capacitate smallholder groups under the Umodzi planned outgrower scheme to easily work in groups through provision group dynamics training, support with putting in place by-laws and leadership structures for ease of management and transactions with Umodzi in poultry business. This will also lay foundation structures for managing input supply, offtaking birds and generally organised management among the producers in the groups and for Umodzi as the offtake market. The technical assistant is expected to cover topics such as good governance, financial literacy, and business management. The selected STTA will draw lessons from previous training materials and training manuals developed under Cohort 1 and 2, where applicable. The training materials should be adapted and aligned to the needs of the outgrowers and Umodzi. The training content and by-laws developed should be simplified into a format that can easily be used by the producer groups and for further trainings by Umodzi and to this end the STTA will conduct a training of trainers among selected Umodzi staff who will then jointly deliver training to the outgrower groups. Thus, through the intervention, CASA will support in building Tac Maz’s ability to develop strong outgrower structures for continued poultry commercialization among smallholders.

The STTA is expected to mainstream elements of food and nutrition security; GESI and climate change adaptation during the trainings through allocation of slots for guest resource persons on these topics or incorporating the same in the training materials by getting input from CASA cross-cutting experts. The cross-cutting training sessions will be delivered through existing CASA engaged crosscuts’ experts (or you from their input) or a local service provider that Umodzi is linked to.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall management of the CASA Market Manager for Poultry, the Expert will support Umodzi to establish cohesive groups among the outgrowers and provide group dynamics training.

The specific duties of the expert for the pilot phase include:

• Review existing group dynamics training materials, align them to the needs of newly formed groups and produce training materials for Umodzi outgrowers groups. Share training materials with CASA crosscuts for incorporation of cross-cutting elements to train the farmers.
• Conduct a training for selected Umodzi staff who will then be responsible for training the outgrower groups alongside the STTA
• In liaison with Umodzi, fully integrate Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) in the trainee identification process and in facilitating election of group leaders, proactively incorporating women and the youth that have requisite skills and competencies.
• Together with Umodzi trainers conduct group dynamics training, support establishment and/or strengthening of leadership structures of the producer groups
• Support the newly formed poultry producer groups to develop group constitutions which clearly stipulate the rules of engagement, roles and responsibilities of group leaders and members, and clearly define the grievance redress mechanisms amongst members.
• Ensure all activities are done in collaboration with at least one of Umodzi’s staff for knowledge transfer and further technical training and backstopping for the outgrowers.

4. DELIVERABLES

The following are the required deliverables under this assignment:

• Submission of the inception report outlining the assignment delivery methodology and approach and detailing the delivery schedule for all tasks planned under the
• Delivery of the group dynamics training manuals that include a simplified translated version (Chichewa) to ensure ease of cascading the knowledge and skills to other groups who may be formed later.
• Delivery of a training report, including sample by-laws developed, list of the trainers and outgrower members trained.
• Monthly timesheet after completion of every month, within 10 days of the following month.
• Other deliverables as per the needs of the project partners as determined by CASA Country Team.

The indicative delivery timelines are summarised in the table below. The final allocation of days will be agreed between the consultant and CASA team, in liaison with the client.

Deliverable Timelines

5. DURATION

The assignment is expected to take 20 workdays in September 2024.

6. QUALITY ASSURANCE

CASA and Umodzi management will be responsible for assuring the quality of the training materials to ensure that the information given is reliable and sufficient to guide technical backstopping to Umodzi’s team and practical application of group management among small-scale producers, and that any potential limitations of information given is clearly highlighted. The CASA Country team and Umodzi will discuss and agree the expected criteria for quality with the successful applicant and will oversee the quality of each deliverable.

7. REQUIREMENTS and EXPERTISE

• Demonstrated track-record in farmer engagement, training and mobilisation for development activities.
• Experience in farmer organisation development, extension service provision, especially in agro-based businesses.
• Practical knowledge and ability to innovate and adapt production systems from purely subsistence to commercially oriented
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Adeptness and practical application of CASA’s crosscutting themes of gender equality and social inclusion; climate change and environment; and food and nutrition security in training sessions
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills in English, including excellent drafting and presentation skills
• Willingness to take on new assignments at short notice and to travel frequently to remote areas.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment within defined policies and practices.
• Readiness to travel to Santhe area in Kasungu district.

8. MODE OF APPLICATION

Interested candidates should send an Expression of Interest no more than 9 pages long (in one document) broken down as follows;

1. A maximum of 2 pages EOI submission letter providing an overview of the candidate’s suitability for the role as per the terms of reference and their preferred daily rate expressed in GBP.Indicate your availability to carry out the assignment in September 2024.
2. A maximum of 4 pages outlining a proposed methodology according to their understanding of the assignment and its requirements.
3. A maximum of 3 pages Curriculum Vitae/Resume outlining only the relevant qualifications, experience and attributes for the role. Emphasis should be placed on similar consultancy assignments carried out by the candidate in the past 7 years.

Applications to be sent to rhch@niras.com with title of the position being applied for in the subject line by 16^th August 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will accept the first suitable applications received even before the deadline.