Daphine Gitonga

Call for consultancy services

on increasing collaboration and coordination among Miombo/Mopane Child projects and scaling out impacts beyond impact program countries in the Miombo/Mopane region

 

INTRODUCTION

The African Forest Forum (AFF) is a pan-African non-governmental organization with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The purpose of AFF is to provide a platform and create an enabling environment for independent and objective analysis, advocacy and advice on relevant policy and technical issues pertaining to achieving sustainable management, use and conservation of Africa’s forest and tree resources as part of efforts to eradicate poverty, promote gender equality, economic and social development and stability of the environment.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. The goal of FAO is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 members – 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.

FAO has signed a Letter of Agreement with AFF to provide technical support towards implementation of the Global Environment Facility (GEF-7) – Sustainable Forest Management Impact Program on Dryland Sustainable Landscapes (DSL-IP) for Southern Africa. This included scoping six FAO-led child projects in seven countries including Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. FAOs interventions through this program closely align with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to combat land degradation, in particular the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) Southern Africa under the Sub Regional Action Programme to Combat Desertification (SRAP) of which all the Southern Africa DSL-IP child projects are part of.

Within this agreement, AFF is expected to facilitate multi-actor collaboration, synergies, knowledge exchange, joint learning and demand-based capacity development to enable accelerating impacts, scaling out, up and deep.

BACKGROUND

According to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Regional Vulnerability Assessment Programme, over the past few years, over 40 million people have been estimated to be food insecure every year in southern Africa. Contributing factors include poverty, climate change (prolonged dry spells, frequent droughts and floods), conflicts (human and wildlife), gender disparities, pests and diseases (including human diseases especially HIV), natural disasters and high food prices (affecting agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and agrochemicals). In addition, global financial crises over the past decades have left many people in the Region without enough food and in need of humanitarian assistance. Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has also negatively impacted food systems in the Region and the world at large since.  The factors outlined above are also exacerbated by a rapidly growing population which is leading to agricultural expansion in the dryland Miombo and Mopane woodlands which are dominant in the region. This expansion results in deforestation, forest degradation, and the loss of species and ecosystem services.  The remnant woodland is an increasingly vital support system for local farming communities as it maintains ecosystem services such as soil fertility, pollination and water cycles while also providing a range of products from wood energy and construction materials to wild foods, medicines and cosmetics.

In an effort to avoid, reduce, and reverse further degradation, desertification, and deforestation of land and ecosystems in drylands, in 2019, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the sustainable management of production landscapes, developed the Sustainable Forest Management Impact Program on Dryland Sustainable Landscapes (SFM -IP).  The overall objective of the program is “to maintain the ecological integrity of entire biomes by concentrating efforts, focus, and investments, as well as ensuring strong regional cross-border coordination”, in order to transform the course of development and produce multiple benefits for biodiversity, climate change, land degradation and livelihoods. Furthermore, the SFM-IP “will support multi-country collaboration on management challenges that cross borders and that countries identify as priorities during the design process”.  Under the SFM-IP, the DSL-IP focuses on applying the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) approach and a suite of tools to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation, desertification and deforestation in drylands by advancing sustainable land and forest management using an integrated landscape approach.

FAO is the lead organization for implementing the project. Key partners executing the DSL-IP at the global coordination project level include the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). At the regional level, the program is supported by the Central Asian Countries Initiative for Land Management (CACILM), the Resilient Food System Programme, the African Union, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The respective child projects are supported by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), FAO, the World Bank Group, and IUCN as GEF implementing agencies. The DSL-IP Southern Africa cluster is currently working with 7 countries, namely: Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe). Through its integrated landscape management approach, the DSL-IP includes rangelands, livestock production systems and agro-ecological food production systems and supports linkages to sustainable value-chains for dryland commodities. Ultimately, the DSL-IP will assist participating countries to achieve their ambitions on LDN and contribute to the achievement of Global Environmental Benefits (GEBs).

Operationally, the DSL-IP child projects are coordinated through the Global Coordination Project (GCP) unit based at FAO headquarters; however, given the regionally specific nature of many of the issues to be addressed, it will have a strongly decentralized structure through the establishment of Regional Exchange Mechanisms (REMs). Based on the geographic distribution of the DSL-IP countries, three REMs have been established under the GCP for Central Asia, Sahel/East Africa, and the Miombo/Mopane ecoregion in Southern Africa (main focus of the current project).

The REMs’ overall objective is to accelerate as well as increase the magnitude, durability, and scope of impacts of GEF-7 investments in sustainable drylands management in the targeted three eco-regions;  by i) leveraging on existing platforms, networks, and stakeholders within the region for further amplification and successful cross-pollination within and beyond the region in question and ii) re-directing countries towards technical assistance in-house, and outwards, for amplification and upscaling of their practices within borders, beyond their region, and also towards the higher levels of decision-making arenas. To this end AFF’s platform for knowledge brokerage among stakeholders in African forestry will be instrumental.

While the REMs in East, West Africa and Central Asia are coordinated by IUCN, the REM in Southern Africa (Miombo/Mopane Cluster) is led by FAO.

Through the agreement stated above, AFF aims to contribute to the overall objective of the REM To accelerate as well as increase the magnitude, durability, and scope of impacts of GEF-7 investments in sustainable drylands management in the targeted three eco-regions and will focus on the Southern Africa eco-region. As a pan-African regional knowledge broker, AFF will support the enhancement of the regional dimensions of the DSL-IP child projects in Southern Africa to ensure multi-country, multi-actor collaboration and synergies, tailored and demand-based capacity development, knowledge exchange, joint learning and scaling out, up and deep.  AFF will also facilitate the transfer of experience, practice, and lessons learnt during implementation of the initiative to support replication and policy dialogue at desired levels.

In this context, and within the framework of the collaboration with FAO, AFF is recruiting one regional expert to carry out a desk-review for the Regional Exchange Mechanism (REM) for the Miombo-Mopane ecoregion in southern Africa to identify strategic entry points and concrete activities for sustained engagement by the DSL-IP with SADC through its Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) department.

PURPOSE OF THE WORK

The purpose of this assignment is to (i) conduct a review and analysis to profile selected child projects in the respective countries as well as other related programmes at regional level, (ii) map and prioritize regional specific events organized by the SADC secretariat and/or within SADC. Use information obtained from (i) and (ii) to engage in agenda shaping, during the eligible and relevant events, to align with DSL-IP objectives and core themes.

SPECIFIC TASKS

The expert will collate, review and analyse past and ongoing interventions which addressed (or are addressing) the issue of climate change as it pertains to sustainable land management with a focus on the dry landscapes within the SADC region.

Specifically, the tasks will be as follows:

  • In collaboration with AFF, identify institutions / organisations leading the child projects and related programmes at regional level.
  • Visit the above institutions / organisations, and physically collect all documentation on the child projects and related programmes; and build a collection of those documents. In cases where physical meeting is not possible, the information could be collected through direct contacts and searches on websites,
  • Analyse and document key achievements, lessons learned, challenges, opportunities, capacity needs and areas of potential synergies and overlaps within the child projects that could guide regional exchange events and mechanisms.
  • Map and prioritize at least three regional specific events organized by the SADC Secretariat and/or within the SADC including those by the Regional Knowledge Partners (RKPs) that overlap with DSL-IP Communities of Practice (CoPs) and identified country core themes.
  • Map and analyze on-going initiatives (programmes and projects) to identify policy alignment opportunities/entry points for mainstreaming integrated land management focusing on wood fuel and tenure arrangement related frameworks.
  • Identify and recommend coordination and scaling up approaches within the project area and beyond
  • Prepare a report synthesising the above findings.

DELIVERABLES

The experts will be expected to deliver the following at end of the consultancy period:

  • A technical report of about 40-pages, synthesising the above findings particularly the profile of child projects with key achievements, lessons, capacity needs and areas of potential synergies and overlaps within child projects that could guide regional exchange events and mechanism.
  • Guidelines for effecting the identified capacity building, coordination strategies and activities;
  • A report on identified country core themes. The report will highlight how the mapped and prioritized events inform alignment of activities. This will provide a basis for participation by the country projects in the mapped regional exchanges.
  • Two (2) policy briefs on integrated land management in the region (1 on wood fuel and another on land and tree tenures).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

This consultancy is meant for experts with the following qualifications and skills:

  • At least a master’s degree in natural resource management, agriculture/agroforestry, forestry or any related area, with experience in climate change, a PhD will be an added advantage.
  • At least five years’ working experience in sustainable natural resources management in the context of climate change;
  • Demonstrable knowledge and experience of the Miombo/Mopane region and ecosystems
  • Demonstratable experiences in conducting reviews in the field of sustainable land management and climate change or any related field at the regional level;
  • Demonstrable knowledge / network with sustainable land management and climate change institutions in Africa;
  • Have proven skills and experience in writing technical reports and the like, on topics related to sustainable land management, climate change adaptation and mitigation.
  • Excellent communication skills in English.

 APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

The applicant shall submit the following:

  • A brief and concise technical proposal (not more than 3 pages) detailing the methodological approach for undertaking the assignment, containing:
    • The methodology for reviewing and analysing the child projects and any related programme in the region.
  • Cover letter stating how the above qualifications and experience requirements are met.
  • Curriculum vitae, of not more than 6 pages, focusing on the most relevant trainings, skills, publications and experiences to the current assignment.

 DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT

The workload of this assignment is one and a half (1.5) man-months, commencing on August 28, 2024, and could spread over a maximum of two and half (2.5) months; the deliverables should be submitted no later than October 14, 2024. The expert will work from his/her own location but be in close consultation with relevant staff at the AFF Secretariat while keeping to an agreed delivery schedule.

DEADLINES

Applications must be received by the AFF Secretariat on or before 28 August 2024.

Consultancy activities must begin no later than September 12, 2024.

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be submitted by e-mail with the subject line: “Consultancy on “Increasing collaboration and coordination among Miombo/Mopane Child projects and scaling out impacts beyond Impact Program countries in the Miombo/Mopane region” to Dr Tefera Endalamaw through the following e-mail addresses: t.endalamaw@cifor-icraf, Dr Daud Kachamba at: d.kachamba@cifor-icraf.org and copied to Dr Djibril Dayamba at d.dayamba@cifor-icraf.org and exec.sec@afforum.org.

To download the Terms of Reference, click here.