Consultant to undertake a study on Youth Opportunities in the Agriculture Sector

Consultant

Overview

Conduct a study on youth opportunities in agriculture, fisheries, and renewable energy

You have:

• A Master’s degree in development studies, gender studies, agriculture economics, international relations, political science, demography, policy and data analysis, social science or another related field.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in Programme/Project Management including demonstrable experience in gender equality and women and youth empowerment and related program planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Demonstrated experience in carrying out youth agricultural programmes, research and/or projects in Africa.
• Demonstrated understanding of the linkages between environmental protection, energy life cycles and women and youth economic empowerment.
• The candidate is required to have proficiency in English.

Contract

This is a International Consultant contract. More about International Consultant contracts.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Agriculture is a key production sector in African economies and the main contributor to growth and poverty reduction especially in rural areas. Considering that women make up almost half of the agricultural labour force in Sub-Saharan Africa, targeting the agriculture sector is one of the critical measures for food and nutrition security, rural poverty reduction, reducing gender inequalities, protection of the environment and sustainable development. The agriculture sector, however, has been increasingly challenged in recent times by recurrent stresses and shocks caused by environmental degradation and climate change. These impacts have negatively affected agricultural productivity thereby calling for innovative solutions.

In the face of challenges in the agriculture sector, African economies are not generating optimal employment opportunities even during periods of rapid growth, and the pace has slowed alongside weaker growth rates. Sustained stagnation in job creation has direct implications for the continent’s working-age population and socio-economic outcomes. The working-age population in Africa is expected to grow by close to 70 percent between 2015 and 2035, or approximately 450 million people.

Furthermore, with the global population projections being projected to 9 billion by the year 2050, there is an expected increase in the young population to 1.3 billion of the overall population. A large proportion of young population will be born in the developing countries of Africa and Asia and over half of this population will reside in rural areas (UNDESA, 2011). Amidst a rapidly growing youth population, Africa countries also have the highest income and gender inequalities. Such inequalities present a challenge for sustainable development. Thus, youth participation is fundamental for the sustainable development agenda.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the nature of rural transformation and limited industrialization means that the non-farm economy can absorb only a fraction of the rising youth population in the continent. (Ripoll et al. 2017). At the same time there are opportunities for young farmers to tap into digitalization of African economies and benefit from linkages with environmental protection work.

Modern ‘smart’ technologies and digitization in the farming business has motivated a new generation of farmers, managers and entrepreneurs. Information technologies and a digitally – savvy farmer bring markets, prices, climate conditions and farming intelligence directly to the farmer in second. The strategic use of digital technologies, data, and innovative digitally enabled business models can (and have already begun to) accelerate sustainable agricultural transformation in Africa.

On the other hand, methods of production, supply, storage and consumption of energy (the energy life cycle) present key issues in sustainable development because they strongly affect the local and global environment, as well as people’s health and well-being Renewable energy presents a means to combine the goals of youth employment (therefore income generation) and environmental protection, thereby contributing to sustainable development. One method to implement this potential link between youth employment and environmental protection is to identify, support and invest in youth-led enterprises to produce and market renewable energy to off-grid consumers. Ensuring that women are equally engaged and supported in both the business and the governance of equitable energy life cycles is an important aspect of this work as renewable energy solutions have potential to significantly reduce the burden of unpaid care work for women, thus reducing time poverty and energy poverty gaps.

Rationale for conducting the study: A study that prepares the next generation for an inclusive, landscape and environment sensitive, and resilient approach to productive livelihoods must, by necessity, take a systems approach and apply a multi-disciplinary analysis. Underpinning the research with intersectional gender analysis will enable UN Women to apply the analysis and findings to a range of sectoral and cross-sectoral WEE initiatives in East and Southern Africa Region.

In agricultural and energy systems, youth and gender inequality investment offers untapped potentials for ensuring transformative development processes that are both innovative and inclusive. Currently, weak regulatory frameworks limited local supply of technical skills, high transactional costs, harmful fossil fuel subsidies, weak infrastructure and under-developed financial intermediation represent high investments risks and barriers and limit access to affordable finance for local energy entrepreneurs. In Addition, women and youth bear additional investment risks including structural gender inequalities, discriminatory social norms, lack of access to land and assets as collateral, lower literacy levels due to and lack of time to engage in educational and productive activities due to disproportionate burden of unpaid care work. At the same time, agriculture holds considerable potential to provide gainful employment opportunities to a large number of youth if it is supported with increased investment (financial, infrastructural, capacity etc.) and conducive legal and policy frameworks.

There is a significant role played by young people in in fisheries and aquaculture, there contributions and roles are often rendered invisible. For instance, the work in the fisheries and aquaculture is often seen as an extension of domestic work and for household consumption, which in turn may result in their exclusion from the discourse around fisheries and aquaculture, e.g. in business and access to markets. The same can also be observed in the livestock and husbandry sector. Intersectional analysis on innovative financing and governance models that empower young people to secure equitable returns on their investments will encourage more women and men to return to these sectors as local entrepreneurs and producers – which has multiplier benefits for local food economies, overall nutrition levels and well-being, and a thriving economy.

The renewable energy sector is an important infrastructural foundation to innovation in agriculture, fisheries, and livestock farming. It provides the bedrock for climate-resilient farming as well as for networking local knowledge with emerging science and governance. In integrating renewable and clean energies as one aspect of innovation in the farm sector, multiplier benefits for water and food production and distribution, for farm-gate and market prices, and for integrating the knowledge / digital economy are foreseen. By examining these synergies, the study will contribute to UNW’s work on empowering rural communities around climate smart decisions.

The digitization of agriculture, precision farming and the use of digital data can contribute to resource efficiencies and climate resilience; this has been a growing trend in some contexts. Ensuring that women and youth can capitalize on these innovations and leapfrog technologies will equip UN Women with key entry points to sensitize programme and policy makers on some of the ways in which digital solutions can support youth in agriculture for efficient, fast and reliable tech solutions.

In sum, this research will provide current background and evidence for gender-responsive proposal development that integrates youth in agriculture solutions in the broader programmes on climate smart agriculture. The research will highlight existing gaps and entry points in investing in youth in the rural sector and provide forward-looking policy recommendations for stakeholders and financiers.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work:

The overall objective of the assignment is to conduct an inter-sectional study to document the opportunities for youth in rural business and entrepreneurship in agriculture with a focus on fisheries and aquaculture sector, livestock and husbandry and renewable energy in agriculture in Mozambique, Uganda and Rwanda.

The consultant will report directly to the UN Women Regional Socio-economic Advisor in East and Southern Africa and with overall guidance from the Regional Director.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop gender-responsive research instruments for the study;
• Conduct a needs assessment and entry points on youth in livestock, fisheries &aquaculture, renewable energy systems with the climate change nexus;
• Review literature on emerging governance models and innovative financing provisions for youth;
• Review literature on the Internet of Things, digital data, block chain and precision farming in the region;
• Review youth polices for agriculture to determine the supporting frameworks in place for young people in the rural production and renewable energy sector;
• Prepare policy recommendations and ways in which the enabling environment can be tailored to create and support opportunities for women and youth.

Deliverables:

• Inception report of the reviewed literature;
• Draft report of the needs assessment conducted;
• Final report incorporating inputs from UN Women and review of national youth policies;
• Policy brief outlining summary of the report and policy recommendations.

Work Schedule:

Deliverables

Timeline

Payment Percentage

Submission of inception report of the reviewed literature

10

20%

Draft report of the needs assessment conducted

20

40%

Final report incorporating inputs from UN Women and review of national youth policies

15

30%

Policy brief outlining summary of the report and policy recommendations

5

10%

Total

50

100%

Competencies

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to be flexible and respond to changes to the proposal as part of the review and feedback process;
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines maintain a high-quality of deliverables and work under pressure;
• Strong interpersonal skills, able to communicate and work with diverse people at regional and country office level;
• Can work independently with limited supervision and as part of a team;
• Results-oriented and excellent analytical skills;
• Strong understanding of issues related to gender, youth and agricultural productivity.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• A Master’s degree in development studies, gender studies, agriculture economics, international relations, political science, demography, policy and data analysis, social science or another related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in Programme/Project Management including demonstrable experience in gender equality and women and youth empowerment and related program planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation;
• Demonstrated experience in carrying out youth agricultural programmes, research and/or projects in Africa;
• Demonstrated understanding of the linkages between environmental protection, energy life cycles and women and youth economic empowerment;
• Experience in Africa is desirable.

Language Requirements:

• The candidate is required to have proficiency in English.

Note:

The selected consultant should note that the report and brief emerging from the study shall be taken through a plagiarism checker established by UN Women. The UN Women standard acceptable level of plagiarism is below 15% in line with the global standards. Care should be taken to ensure that this threshold is met within the study with proper referencing in line with UN Women policies.

UNWOMEN is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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Potential interview questions

Added 5 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org