Climate-Smart Agriculture Curriculum Development and Knowledge Exchange – Consultant

Background of the project 

International Rescue Committee: The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Today, 13.4 million people in Syria – more than half of the country’s population – need humanitarian assistance with needs increasingly being exacerbated by economic decline. The destruction of relationships, communities, livelihoods, homes, and infrastructure will take years to repair. Moreover, the security situation across Syria is not stable in terms of the authority and controlling group along with the affiliated parties who are influencing the political environment that affects civil life, economy in the area, and various needs of vulnerable clients specifically women, elderlies and PWDs. IRC is offering a robust humanitarian response to the Syria crisis with a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by more than 1,250 staff in the region. IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, early childhood development, education, women’s protection and empowerment, cash assistance, water and sanitation, protection and rule of law, and livelihood programming.

Building Local Resilience in Syria (BLRS): Under the ERD program, the IRC is a member of the Syria Resilience Initiative (SRI) consortium, that is implementing a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)-funded project titled: “Building Local Resilience in Syria (BLRS)”. The project aims to strengthen resilience to shocks and stresses at individual, household, and community level by ensuring households have access to market-based skills, market information, knowledge, quality inputs, capital and assets, and opportunities. Implemented through improving market functionality, creating, and sustaining community access to well-functioning infrastructure of water and energy, improving climate-resilient knowledge and practices, strengthening community cohesion through building of social and business networks among programme participants and wider actors and services (through cooperatives, for example), and by creating linkages between producers and functional markets specifically for vulnerable women. Practically, as the lead organization in Northwest Syria, specifically Idleb and Aleppo governorates, IRC and local partner work with home-based and smallholder farmers of prioritized value chains to better manage and increase access to water resources, reduce the impact of climate related shocks, enhance agricultural sector sustainability, and improve agricultural production, using the Farmer Field School (FFS) approach. Moreover, IRC provides capital support and training to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a focus on women-led enterprises, including home-based businesses. IRC prioritize establishing links between farmers, SMEs and other market stakeholders, and focus specifically on identifying entry points for women and other marginalized groups. IRC also provides vocational training and apprenticeships in market-oriented professions to address market gaps in commodities and services.

Scope of work: The proposed intervention seeks to develop a climate-smart agriculture (CSA) curriculum tailored for training sessions on summer vegetables with focusing on summer vegetables crops, aimed at mainstreaming across BLRS partners. This initiative aligns with the Results Framework (RF) indicators and BLRS’s overarching goals of enhancing agricultural resilience and promoting inclusive development. The curriculum will leverage existing climate-smart curricula/research and engage stakeholders including the BLRS partners (WoS) to ensure practical, locally adapted training materials and activities.

Research and Development:

1. Conduct comprehensive research on climate-smart agriculture practices, focusing on summer vegetables, with a particular emphasis on the Syrian context specifically in NWS and NES hubs.
2. Desk revision of all existing relevant materials across the SRI. Utilize findings from FAO research FAO and other existing curricula/research that can improved and/or be adapted to the Northern Syrian context.
3. And engage the BLRS stakeholders to ensure the relevance and practicality of the curriculum.
4. Collaborate with the BLRS’ technical FPs including the IRC to develop the curriculum content, ensuring alignment with BLRS’s objectives and RF indicators.

Curriculum Design:

1. Design a comprehensive climate-smart agriculture curriculum tailored for training sessions focusing on summer vegetables crops, incorporating modern agricultural practices, soil health management, organic fertilizers and pest and disease control.
2. Develop modules covering key topics such as the agricultural cycle, climate change impacts, conservation agriculture, modern irrigation methods, and organic inputs.
3. Ensure the curriculum is accessible, user-friendly, and culturally sensitive to the target audience, including vulnerable farmers, women, and marginalized groups.
4. Validate the curriculum content with SRI partners through several discussions.

Roll-out Planning:

1. Develop a detailed roll-out plan for the implementation of the curriculum, outlining timelines, responsibilities, and resource requirements across the SRI members and the PMU.
2. Identify strategies for capacity building among BLRS partners to facilitate the effective delivery of training sessions.
3. Provide recommendations for monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess the impact and effectiveness of the curriculum.

Alignment with BLRS Goals:

1. Ensure that the curriculum aligns with BLRS’s overarching goals of enhancing agricultural resilience, promoting inclusivity, and empowering vulnerable communities.
2. Emphasize the integration of climate-smart practices to mitigate the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity and livelihoods.
3. Highlight opportunities for economic empowerment, particularly for women, through specialized training and Agri-business initiatives.

Technical Support and Knowledge Sharing:

1. Offer technical support to BLRS partners, including guidance on curriculum adaptation and implementation.
2. Establish a knowledge-sharing platform to facilitate collaboration and exchange of best practices among BLRS members.
3. Provide capacity building and mentorship to ensure sustainability and long-term impact of the curriculum beyond the consultancy period.

Deliverables: The consultant is entrusted with crafting a detailed methodology to oversee the collection, analysis, and validation of the curriculum content, alongside spearheading the composition of the curriculum and its pertinent annexes. The consultancy hinges on drawing insights from the SRI members. The proposed methodology comprises several key steps: conducting Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with SRI partners, potentially integrating IRC staff into these sessions, participating in information gatherings to sensitize available resources and validate the curriculum, conducting thorough literature reviews and document analyses, and finally, developing and validating the curriculum itself. A succinct one-page summary of the curriculum’s essential components will be produced, along with a comprehensive final report encapsulating the entire process and its outcomes. Through this methodological framework, inclusive stakeholder engagement and meticulous validation procedures will ensure the creation of a robust and tailored curriculum.

The consultant is expected to submit the below deliverables before the end of 20th of May upon the start date:

1. Methodology Document: Develop a detailed document outlining the methodology for collecting, analyzing, and validating curriculum content.
2. Literature Review and Analysis Report: Present results from in-depth literature reviews and analyses of relevant documents in a comprehensive report to inform curriculum development.
3. Focus Group Discussion Reports: Summarize findings from FGDs with SRI partners, to gather insights and perspectives.
4. Information Gathering Summary: Prepare a concise report summarizing outcomes from information-gathering activities aimed at validating the curriculum’s relevance and practicality. Share with the IRC Technical FP for feedback and adaptations.
5. Curriculum Development and Validation Documentation: Deliver the finalized curriculum, complete with all content and annexes, along with documentation highlighting the validation process and outcomes.
6. One-Page Curriculum Summary: Produce a succinct one-page summary outlining essential curriculum components for easy reference and dissemination.
7. Comprehensive Final Report: Compile a comprehensive report encapsulating the entire curriculum development and validation process, including recommendations for future steps and sustainability.

Additionally, the consultant will provide ongoing support and facilitate knowledge exchange as follows:

1. Ongoing Technical Support: Offer continuous technical assistance during the consultancy period to the BLRS partners when requested for curriculum development, adaptation, and implementation.
2. Knowledge-Sharing Platform Establishment: Develop and establish a platform for knowledge sharing among BLRS members, fostering collaboration, and sharing best practices in climate-smart agriculture.
3. Capacity Building Workshops and Mentorship Sessions: Organize at least 2 workshops and mentorship sessions to build capacity and empower stakeholders to sustainably implement climate-smart agricultural practices beyond the consultancy period.

These deliverables are pivotal for the successful development and validation of the climate-smart agriculture curriculum within the Syria Resilience Initiative (SRI).

Logos and branding: the IRC logo will be included on documents (e.g., the curriculum, final report and power point). 

Days breakdown (30 Days- TBC)

• FGDs and calls with SRI members and the PMU, 02 Days
• Communication to collect existing resources – 01 Day.
• Desk Review: Literature and document review for secondary data– 03 days.
• Drafting methodology document: 2 Days.
• Adapt feedback on the methodology- all SRI members: 1 Day.
• Developing the BLRS climate-smart agriculture curriculum: 7 days.
• and validate the curriculum from all members for 3 Days.
• Organize at least 2 workshops and mentorship sessions to build capacity and empower stakeholders to sustainably implement climate-smart agricultural practices beyond the consultancy period.
• Organize 1 training for IRC ERD staff to sustainably implement climate-smart agricultural practices beyond the consultancy period.
• Presentation-Summary of all work done (research methodology, for FCDO reports use …. etc): 2 Days
• Draft report, final report – (4 days to draft the report share with SRI members for feedback, 01 Day to tweak the report as per the team key suggestions in total 05 days).

Detailed Timeline (TBC)

Note: the consultant is expected to participate in the weekly check-in online meetings with relevant IRC team members.

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