Place of Performance: Islamabad/Quetta
Project: Pakistan Agricultural Technology Transfer Activity (PATTA)
Country: Pakistan
Positions: TBD
Post Type: Short Term Consultant (STTA)
Job Type: Consultant- Postharvest Technologies Assessment
Start Date: March 2018
Project Background:
The Pakistan Agricultural Technology Transfer Activity (PATTA) funded through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been working since April 2017 to increase smallholder farmers’ access to markets, alongside their overall development impact and cost-effectiveness. By building on CNFA’s 10-year history of successful implementation in Pakistan, PATTA is galvanizing ongoing private-sector investment to commercialize the types of agricultural technologies that enable smallholders to increase their incomes, improve farm productivity, create jobs, and enhance economic growth and stability. These technologies include seeds, fertilizers, water pumps, improved plant and animal breeds, precision agriculture, and integrated soil fertility management, amongst others.
Objectives of the Technical Assistance:
The objective of the assignment is to assess cold storage operations and associated postharvest practices to determine training and technical assistance needs in postharvest of horticulture products. The assessment will include business operations as well as technical and agriculture support needs. In addition to that, assessment of agriculture in terms of manufacturing, distribution, effectiveness, and appropriateness for smallholder farmers in Baluchistan.
Assignment Scope:
The STTA’s tasks will include but not be limited to:
- Desk review of available information and documents on the subject and the region.
- Develop and implement an assessment of the operations of the cold storages and pack houses in the province and analyze information from stakeholders of agricultural cold storage in target districts.
- Develop a training and assistance plan to meet the needs identified above.
- Map available and prospective technologies across the cold chain from production, harvest, postharvest, including transport/ hauling of fresh horticultural produce, grading, sorting, packing, cold storing and transporting to wholesale and end user markets.
Assist PATTA team in identification of existing business service provider for training of all stakeholders of cold storage, pack houses and related cold chain facilities.
- Develop comprehensive assessment analysis report of cold storages and training plan for cold storage facilities in both technical areas and business development. operators, produce suppliers for production, harvest and postharvest practices.
Deliverables:
The specific deliverables of STTA are;
- Deliver a detailed work plan/ TNA (Training Need Assessment) strategy for the assignment within 3 days of assignment commencement and present to the management team in the form of a report and or a presentation.
- Provide 1-page bi-weekly update to the Crop Technology officer and a copy to Director technical related to field activity for TNA
- Meeting minutes and Key informative interviews (stakeholders) during TNA and PSBA (Participatory Stakeholder Baseline Analysis).
- Analysis and mapping A document which analyzes farmer groups linked with agriculture cold storage facility and other farmer groups and networks with potential development in post-harvest technologies. This should include contact information, numbers of farmers and production levels, products marketed, and estimates of losses from undeveloped post-harvest techniques.
- A document describing public and private projects working with networks of smallholder farmers, their scope of work, objectives, deliverables and potential partnership role with PATTA. Analysis and evaluation of public and private project working with networks of smallholder farmers.
- Assessment of the cold storages, pack houses, harvest and postharvest technologies companies ready to make investment in new technologies, expansion and or upscaling of existing technologies, and such investments also lead to job creation, and enhancement of security of farmers’ produce markets and productivity.
- A comprehensive report on findings of the assessment of agriculture cold chain with recommendations for how they can be strengthened through technical assistance in improvement and capacity building in technology and business. The report should include a draft plan for implementation of assistance along linkages with a cost benefit analysis of the technical assistance and capacity building efforts. The cost benefit analysis should include economic impact, increases in farmer income, potential private investment, potential employment created, benefits to women, e.t.c farmer’s groups.
Qualifications:
- Master degree in related field of Agriculture or Horticulture
- Requisite prior experience of working at senior level consulting assignments with USAID funded projects with a focus on development of the Crop agribusiness and technology using an integrated supply chain approach;
- Experience in designing and development of Crop interventions including postharvest, harvest and cold chains practices and evaluations;
- Demonstrated ability to work in a team;
- Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills; and
- Documented report writing skills in English;
- Oral fluency in English